


Socks And Sleeves

by sitabethel



Category: Yu-Gi-Oh
Genre: Deathshipping, Hallelujah, I used Amir because all YM names are good, Injury, M/M, NSFW, Tattos, Vomit, dead by daylight is a video game and it's fun to watch, now if i can just finish lemonade prompts I'll be on cloud nine, puns are just good okay?, tfw you give Ryou a concussion to force yourself to write slower burn, this is the last drunk prompt from 2015
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-10-31
Updated: 2019-02-24
Packaged: 2019-08-13 21:32:38
Rating: Explicit
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 16
Words: 60,967
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/16480139
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/sitabethel/pseuds/sitabethel
Summary: Someone breaks into Ryou's apartment during a power outage.





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

> In Dead By Daylight you can be a killer or a survivor. Survivors can blind the killer with a flashlight and toss down pallets to block the path while they're trying to escape. I'm mentioning it b/c of a line in this chapter that won't make sense if you never play the game.

Half blind, Ryou reached out beside him and fumbled for the box of tissues on the end table. It was the third time, and he couldn’t believe a _zombie movie_ was the thing that managed it. He wanted to be terrified, and he had been. The suspense had him clawing at the black velvet throw cushion in his lap. He’d shrieked, held his breath, even air-punched a zombie in the face to keep it away from one of his favorite characters. 

It didn’t though, save the character. Ryou watched all but two die, and the tears came easier each time. Hell, the _bad guy_ wanted nothing more than to see his mother one last time. 

More tears poured down Ryou’s cheeks and he fumbled for another tissue. What would he do? To get to his mother during a zombie outbreak. Perhaps he wouldn’t let others die, but he _understood the urge_. To do anything it took. 

The power died. 

The breath caught in Ryou’s throat. He looked up at the overhead light fixture. It hadn’t been on to begin with so he wasn’t sure why he looked. The silence _thrummed_ around Ryou. No television, no air conditioner, no refrigerator hum, one never knew how quiet and lonely the world was until all the background noise drained from the room. 

Ryou used the sleeve of his pajama top to scrub the last of the hot tears off of his cheeks. He stood up and blinked but only saw black. The streetlights outside were as dark as Ryou’s apartment. A large blackout, then. Ryou held his hands out in front of him and crept between his sofa and coffee table. Groping in the dark, he found the wall and ran his fingers across the plaster as he moved toward the hallway and to his linen closet where he kept a flashlight and candles for thunderstorms. 

Ryou rose on his tip-toes, reaching up and searching for the flashlight. His fingers brushed against the cylinder handle when the sound of shattering glass made him yelp in surprise. He fell backward, landing on his tailbone. Ryou groaned and rubbed his ass through his boxers. He tilted his head, listening. Ryou’s guts trembled inside his body when he heard the sliding noise of his window opening. Then… footsteps. Soft on the carpet, but Ryou’s time with the Ring taught him to hear things other people never noticed. 

Someone was in his apartment. Someone used the blackout to break in. Ryou stood, reaching up again and finding the flashlight, but he didn’t turn it on. Not yet. Ryou held the torch to his chest. His hands shook, but he kept his breathing calm and even. He pressed against the wall, listening. 

“I can see in the dark. Compared to where I’ve been, it’s bright in here.” The voice was dark and rich, amused even. 

Ryou stared in the direction it came from but saw nothing. And yet, the voice was _familiar_. It reminded Ryou of a dream… a nightmare. He winced, holding the scar on his arm. They were somehow related. 

“Hmmm… scared?”

“Do I know you?” Ryou squinted although he knew it wouldn’t help him see. 

“How could you? I’m- wait…” a pause. A high-pitched, wild laugh. “Bakura?”

“Yes?” Ryou asked, curiosity overriding his fear. “Will you tell me your name?” 

“Can’t. Don’t have one.”

“You… don’t…” A soft intake of breath stopped Ryou’s words. He recognized the voice now. It sounded like Malik, only… darker. 

Then a shadow stood in front of Ryou in the dark. He felt, Warmth radiated from his body, arms framed each side of Ryou, and hot breath tickled Ryou’s cheeks. 

“You’re Bakura, but I don’t think we’ve met.”

“No, we haven't.” Ryou gave a polite bow. “I’m Bakura Ryou, and I would like it if we could be friends.” 

“Keh-keh-he-he-he-kekeke _!”_ His cackle began as a choked breath, but grew into a wild noise. Ryou held his flashlight tighter to hide the trembling in his hands. The Shadow in front of him shouted. “Friends! That’s hilarious! What are we going to do? Braid each other’s hair? Have a sleepover? Whisper ghost stories in the dark?” 

“Could we?” Ryou asked. 

He wasn’t naive. He caught the pained, sardonic tone in the Shadow’s voice; nevertheless, Ryou knew stalling for time was the best strategy. If he could hold out until the lights came back on…

More laughter. A hand gripped Ryou’s throat. The Shadow didn’t squeeze, but his hand was broad and covered Ryou’s throat from chin to collar and Ryou’s heart struggled in his chest. The Shadow’s breath shifted from his cheek to his ear.

“Go ahead,” the voice dared him. “Whisper a ghost story to me.” 

Ryou swallowed and the movement felt tight against the Shadow’s warm hand. He cleared his throat and began in a shaky voice.

“There was a samurai, and he was sent away to work in the capitol. The samurai had a loyal wife, but instead of moving her with him, he took his younger mistress instead. However, by the time his duties were complete and he was sent home, he missed his wife because she had really loved him and wasn’t simply using him for his wealth and status. So he rushed to their house and swept her up in an embrace, promising to never leave her again. She smiled at him and they fell asleep in each other’s arms.”

“I _hate_ this story.” The Shadow growled. 

“I’m not finished.” Ryou closed his eyes, but forced himself not to flinch. If he showed fear, then the beast would pounce on him. His only chance was to remain calm and entertain the shadow holding his throat. “In the morning he woke up, overwhelmed by the sweet-spicy tickle of decay in his nose. He opened his eyes and crawled backwards like a frantic crab. Instead of his wife, he’d been embracing a corpse. The skin clung to the bones like dry papyrus. Her eyes had been eaten by crows and the skin of her lips peeled back revealing a crooked cadaver’s smile- as if she laughed at her foolish husband who’d left her to die. The only thing that remained of her old beauty was the thick, long black hair still growing from her corpse.” 

“Hehehe, better. What happens next?”

“Next?”

“There’s more, isn’t there?”

“Of course, but your hand… it’s hard to speak.” Ryou swallowed again. 

It wasn’t that hard, but Ryou would rather not stand in the dark with a hand around his windpipe. The only part of the story Ryou had left out was the samurai asking a neighbor how his wife had died- illness brought on by heartache and depression- but Ryou knew that wouldn’t please the Shadow. 

“Fine.” The hand disappeared from Ryou’s throat. “But if you run, I’ll make sure your death hurts more than it was already going to.” 

Ryou swallowed again, his mouth dry. “Guilty for abandoning his wife, the samurai buried her and had all the proper buddhist rites performed to help her spirit move on.”

“You’re _boring_ me again. That’s dangerous for you.”

“Let me set it up,” Ryou snapped, forgetting to be frightened as his temper flared. “You see, it lulled him into a false security. He felt like he’d done his part to help her move on and found another young girl as a bride not even a week after his wife’s funeral. His life seemed good, but he started to feel ill. His throat tickled. No matter how much water and sake he drank, it always tickled. He yelled at his new wife for being a bad cook, but she wasn’t to blame. His throat simply tickled.” 

“Hmph.” The shadow snorted, spider-walking his fingers up and down Ryou’s throat. “Like this? Was her spirit trying to strangle him?”

“Not like that. Your touch is relaxing.”

“Relaxing?” He laughed at his own question.

Ryou shrugged. “Yes. It's nice. Back to the story, however, this was a dry, scratching itch deep within. It got worse as the days went on. It got so bad, that the samurai couldn’t help but scratch at his throat. Deeper, and deeper, he clawed his neck raw, but could never sate the itching agony, not even for a moment- _ah_!”

Nails ghosted down Ryou’s throat. A shiver ran up his spine. Ryou found himself melting against the wall, enjoying the gentle but dangerous touch. He hummed as the nails tormented his skin. 

“Well?”

“Huh?”

“Go on. You’ve piqued my curiosity.” 

“Oh, yes. Um, he started coughing. And the tickle was like insect legs crawling up his esophagus. Desperate to make it stop, he shoved his fingers into the back of his mouth, gagging he dug as far as he could and felt something poking out from the inside. He pinched whatever it was with his fingers and pulled. The samurai’s eyes opened wide in horror as something thick and black emerged from his own mouth, scratching as it came up.” 

“No.” A light smack thudded against Ryou’s chest. 

“Yes.” Ryou heard himself laughing, although his brain didn’t believe it was possible for him to laugh in his current predicament. But Ryou loved ghost stories. “You’ve already guessed it. He pulled strand after strand of thick black hair from his mouth until he’d regurgitated a pile of it. He cried, and vomited onto the floor. He felt violated. The thought of her _her_ hair being _inside his throat_ made him scream himself hoarse, but at least, he thought to himself, it was over. He could forget it ever happened. The thought eased his suffering mind- until the next day when he woke up with the same tickle plaguing his throat.” 

Another peal of deranged laughter echoed in the dark. “I’ll admit, that was fun. I never knew telling stories could satisfy similarly to acting out the fantasies. It’s a shame the story is over, and now it’s time to strangle you.”

“You don’t want to do that,” Ryou said.

“I do. It will be fun.” He toyed with Ryou’s throat again. 

Ryou reached up with one hand and pulled the Shadow closer. With the hand holding the flashlight, Ryou took a lock of his own hair and tickled it up the Shadow’s throat. 

“But what if you kill me and you can never get my hair out of your throat?”

“It was only a story.”

“Only a story? Like the Pharaoh? I’m Japanese, and we Japanese are infamous for becoming grudge spirits when we’re murdered. Can all the stories be fantasy? What if the rumors started because of real events- like the story on your back? Are you willing to risk it?” 

“Yes,” the Shadow whispered in the darkness, sweetly. “I don’t know how to do anything else.” 

“You know how to play games,” Ryou said, keeping them close but dropping his hair. He rested his thumb against the flashlight switch. 

“True. I do love games.”

“Let’s play a game.” Ryou wasn’t sure if his heart was racing from fear or adrenaline, but something within him relished it either way. 

“Duel Monsters?”

“Nope.” Ryou shook his head. “Dead By Daylight.” 

Ryou closed his eyes and pushed against the flashlight switch. After he heard the click and the scream, he turned off the flashlight. Malik’s other self held his face, and Ryou ran. The Shadow raced behind him, and Ryou didn’t have any pallets to throw in order to slow him down. He dashed for his room, hoping to close and lock the door, but a sharp thud and flash stopped Ryou as he miscalculated his turn in the dark and ran into the door frame.

“Ha ha ha ha ha!” The Shadow laughed, crashing to his knees beside Ryou. “Too bad you can’t see in the dark. You almost got away, but I’m afraid the game is over now.”

“Still, you have to admit-” Ryou touched the goose egg on the side of his head and winced. “It was a pretty bright idea I had with the flashlight.” 

“I should kill you for that pun alone.” 

“Hurts.” Ryou groaned. “Gonna… throw up. I need to get to the toilet.” 

Ryou crawled towards the bathroom, his stomach boiled. He didn’t expect help, or even to make it to the bathroom, but arms lifted him and carried him to the toilet where he was set down in front of the bowl. The Shadow even held Ryou’s hair back as Ryou emptied his stomach of the noodles he’d had for dinner. After vomiting, Ryou coughed, gagged, flushed the toilet after his stomach settled, and washed his mouth out in the sink. 

“Thanks. I didn’t think you’d let me.”

“I don’t like the smell of vomit.” The Shadow snorted in the dark. “It’d ruin my fun.” 

Ryou gave an understanding grunt and then burst into a peal of laughter. 

“What’s so funny?” The Shadow asked. 

“I have a concussion.” Ryou gripped the sink, shaking and too queasy to stand on his own. “And I thought ‘oh dear, I need to go to the hospital,’ but then I realized how stupid that was of me.” 

“Pfff, yeah, pretty dumb.”

Ryou pushed himself away from the sink, determined to stand on his own, but he stumbled and crashed against the Shadow’s chest. The Shadow held onto Ryou and steadied him. Something cracked inside of Ryou. Maybe it was how warm and comforting the chest felt beneath him, maybe the impact of the movie still lingered in his mind, maybe it was the concussion making him emotional, but searing tears spilled out of his eyes, and he clung to his would-be killer and wept against his shirt. 

“I haven’t touched you yet.” The Shadow scooped Ryou into his arms. “You’re taking all the fun out of this.” 

“Gimme me a moment. I feel sick.”

Ryou wrapped his arms around the Shadow’s neck. He wanted comfort so badly. He knew the arms around him wanted to crush him, not embrace him. Nonetheless, overcome by instinct, Ryou clung to him and rested his burning forehead against the Shadow’s cool neck. 

“ _Mmmm_ ,” Ryou cooed, nuzzling, savoring the sensation of the Shadow’s skin against his burning face. 

“ _Urrrgh, dammit_.” The Shadow swore under his breath and carried Ryou out of the bathroom. 

He lowered Ryou to the mattress and wrapped him in a quilt. The Shadow settled next to him, thumbing Ryou’s the hollow of Ryou’s throat in a stiff way, as if he wanted to crush it, but couldn’t quit manage it. Ryou didn’t ask questions. Comfort was something rarely offered to him and he squeezed the Shadow as close as he could and drank it in like sweet tasting poison. Surely it was his death he held in his arms, but it felt too good to let go. 

“ _Mmmm_ ,” Ryou hummed again as his nerves tingled from the embrace. His tears ebbed and stopped and he felt sleepy- another sign of a concussion. He really did need a hospital, but he supposed it really didn’t matter. 

A pained noise escaped the Shadow. He trembled. On instinct, Ryou traced soothing patterns around the Shadow’s shoulders while whispering to him. 

“Too bad dying isn't like this- all wrapped in warmth and comfortable. Dying would be better than living- ow!” A light touch prodded at his head, bumping against the knot swelling above his hairline. 

“You’re not dying.” 

“Aren’t I, though?” Ryou shimmied a little closer. 

If these were his last moments on Earth, then he was going to be greedy, and hold on as long as he could. He finally understood the spirit who once possessed him- he understood the desperate need to _take_ , so he took what affection he could, holding and caressing as long as the Shadow would tolerate it.

“Yes, I was going to… but you won’t die from the concussion. I should be the one who… who- w-why are you holding me like this? I… I-” a sniffle. “I-”

He cried, great, shaking sobs. Ryou’s head spun. He blinked, his eyes adjusted in the dark, but all he could see was an outline in the blackness. He reached up and combed his fingers through the wheat stalks of hair. 

“Are you okay?” 

“ _What are we doing_?” the Shadow choked on his tears as he spoke. 

“I… I'm sorry. It hurt so bad, and I always had to take care of myself, after my mom died. I wanted-” Ryou sniffed, his own tears returning. He clung tighter to the Shadow. “I want to be held before it has to hurt more.” 

“No one's ever held me before.” The breath caught in his throat as the Shadow pulled Ryou closer. “Don't let go.” 

“O-okay.” Ryou used his sleeve as a tissue to wipe at both their eyes. “I won’t let go, but take off your shoes, please.” 

“My shoes?”

“It’s rude to wear them in the house, and more rude to wear them to bed.”

“You’re bossy.” The Shadow kicked at his own feet until his shoes plopped onto the carpet below.

“Thank you.” Ryou gave the Shadow a tight squeeze. 

“Um…”

“This is the part where you say _you’re welcome_ ,” Ryou whispered into the Shadow’s ear.

“Oh.”

They clung to each other in the dark, stealing comfort from each other. Ryou fell asleep, and it wasn’t until the sun streaked into his room that he woke up- still tangled up with Malik’s Shadow. A low moan echoed out of Ryou’s throat. His head was sore. Ryou cheeks burned as he remembered clinging to a literal killer because he’d been too loopy from his concussion to scratch or punch or try to escape from him instead. 

But… he had held Ryou back. He had cried with him. Ryou stared at the not-quite Malik. His brow wrinkled with a dream and his dark lashes fluttered. He didn’t wear kohl or jewelry, although he wore khakis and a black tank top. Ryou reached out and smoothed his fingers across Malik’s cheek. The Other Malik woke with a gasp, eyes flinging open. Ryou jerked backward, pressing his fist to his chest and hoping he hadn’t been too forward with the soft touch. 

“S-sorry. Good morning? I think. The clocks reset when the power went out, and my cell phone is in the living room, so I’m not sure what time it is.” 

“Morning,” Malik muttered, sitting up and looking around at the light, blinking as if he wasn’t sure how he felt about the sight. “Huh… I think I've only seen light once before. I usually took control in the dark. Even Battle City was at night.” 

“Oh. How do you like it? The light. Here.” Ryou stood up. 

The dizziness returned. He stumbled to the window. With a shaky hand, Ryou pulled the blinds and opened the pane; a breeze sifted into the room. Ryou closed his eyes, sighing and leaning out a little. 

“Yes, it must be morning. The air smells like morning.”

“Morning has a smell?”

“I think it does. Come here.” 

He stood beside Ryou. Their arms brushed, so Ryou opened his eyes. He looked up and smiled at Malik’s double. Malik reached out and touched Ryou’s hair.

“It shimmers in the sun.”

“Does it?” 

The light hurt Ryou’s eyes and made his vision blur. He was angry at himself for getting head trauma in such a stupid way. That was it. How he would have ended in a horror movie- bashing his own head in and then getting stabbed by the killer. Ryou was disappointed. He always thought he’d make it a _little_ longer in such a scenario, but the only reason he wasn’t dead was because Malik had simply… stopped. 

“You were right. Morning does have a smell.”

Malik’s double had a gentle, warm smile on his face, and his nostrils flared as he sucked in the morning air. His long tongue lolled out of his mouth, and Ryou couldn’t help but giggle. 

“What are you doing?” Ryou asked. 

“Trying to taste it.” 

“I don’t think humans can taste the morning.” 

“Well- how was I supposed to know? This is my first morning.” The other Malik crossed his arms over his chest. 

“You looked cute, though. Um…” Ryou tried to force the question out of his mouth, but he was too afraid of the answer. 

“What?” 

“It’s stupid.” Ryou exhaled, rubbing his temples. He touched the knot on his head. It was less swollen than the night before, but still tender. 

“You’re still sick, aren’t you?”

“Yes. The longer I stand, the worse it gets.” Ryou moaned, swaying on his feet. 

Again, the Other Malik lifted Ryou up off the floor. Ryou whimpered; the movement churned his stomach. However, the moment he settled onto the mattress he sighed in relief. He wanted to sleep. He wanted to be held. 

“You stupid idiot.” Malik smoothed his fingers over Ryou’s forehead. “You didn’t even give me a chance.” 

“That’s what I wanted to ask.”

“You want me to put you out of your misery?” the other Malik asked. 

“I would never ask such a question. I’d try my best so matter how much it hurt.” Ryou giggled, but then moaned because laughing hurt. “I was just wondering… couldn’t… couldn’t we be friends instead? Honestly.” Ryou forced his eyes opened, but his vision was blurry. “It’s such a waste, to not be. The thought of you hurting me hurts more than the bump on my head. I’d rather hold you more. We could tell ghost stories, and watch horror movies, and play games, and cuddle. It’d be so nice. I really want-”

“Yes.” The other Malik surprised Ryou by squeezing him as hard as he could. 

“R-really?”

“Yes. Hold me more.” 

“Thank goodness. I was so afraid you’d say no.” Ryou sighed, shaking a little. He squeezed Malik more tightly, but fell asleep in his arms again. 


	2. Chapter 2

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I will still post ch3 Wednesday, the only reason ch2 was late was so ppl could read some of the amazing thiefshipping fics that were posted. Go check out the Alchemy of Thiefshipping collection if you haven't already!

Ryou woke because of a tickle near his foot. He kicked out, but it returned a moment later. Ryou opened his eyes, his throat dry. 

“What are you doing?” Ryou asked. 

“Your socks look like they’re covered in blood.” 

Ryou lifted a leg, looking at his thigh high, blood-splattered sock. Yes, he had bought them online, and yes, they were for girls, but they were _blood-splattered thigh high socks_. Ryou had needed them. 

“You just now noticed?”

“I noticed this morning, but you were sick, so I didn’t ask.” He looked up. “How do you feel now?”

“Woozy. I need to go to the hospital. I’m so mad at myself.” Ryou pushed himself up. “Maybe some water.”

“I’ll get it.” Malik’s other half disappeared, so Ryou rested against his pillow again and allowed himself to be cared for. Even if it was only a glass of water, it was a nice feeling to have someone help him. 

“Thank you. What should I call you?” Ryou asked when the other Malik returned with a glass filled with tap water. 

“I don’t know.” He sat on the bed and stared at the carpet below. “Malik, at least for now? But I guess I need my own name.”

“Thank you, Malik.” Ryou took a sip. “May I ask how you returned?”

“It was the blackout. Everything was pitch and it made the veil between reality and the Shadow Realm thin. I was able to sneak through.” 

“Does that happen a lot?” 

“Escaping?” Malik flicked his eyes towards Ryou.

“Does the fabric often get so thin? Why wouldn’t Zorc return if that were the case?” 

“It only happens in Domino. Too much Shadow Magic from when we all used the Items. Dark places are always a little thin.” Malik stood up, pacing. “It felt like being haunted. I could hear whispers sometimes, or see a wavy image, but I couldn’t switch over anymore than you could hop into a ghost’s world. The blackout was _just enough_ to squeeze through. I didn’t think I’d fit. The pressure crushed my chest, smashed me until I couldn’t scream or even breath. There’s no way Zorc could would ever fit.” 

“I’m glad he wouldn’t. I’d hate for him to return.” Ryou finished his water. 

“ _Hmph,_ had you asked me last night, I would have laughed at the thought. Maybe even helped it happen, but…”

“Yes?”

“I’ve… seen my first morning. I think I’d like to see another one.” He raked his fingers through his golden hair. “I guess I need to say goodbye and leave.”

“Goodbye?” Ryou dropped his empty glass. It landed in his lap and he fumbled to pick it up and set it on his nightstand. “Why are you leaving? I thought we were going to be friends? I thought we could play Dead by Daylight- I mean the real version. It’s a video game. You get to be the killer if you want to be.” 

“Bakura-”

“Ryou!”

“Ryou?” 

“Um, I mean, please call me by my first name.” Ryou blushed. “You don’t have to call me Bakura- unless you want to. I don’t mind. But if we’re going to be close friends then-”

“Ryou.” Malik smiled. A simple, honest smile and not a grin or a smirk. It stole Ryou’s breath and made his chest throb. “You have to go to the hospital.” 

“I… know.” Ryou’s expression crumpled. Amir was right. Ryou was dizzy, and the thought of food made his stomach roll. He should have gone already, but he hadn’t expected to survive the night. 

“You can’t go by yourself, so you’re going to have to call Yugi.”

“I can go by myself.” Ryou winced. Calling Yugi was the last thing he wanted to do. 

“Can you even dress yourself?”

“Of course I can.” Ryou curled in a ball. 

“Yeah? Prove it.”

“Not with you watching!” Ryou’s face grew fever-hot. 

Malik turned around and crossed his arms over his chest. 

“You’re still in the room. That’s too embarrassing.” Ryou hugged himself. 

“I’m not looking, but if you fall down then I need to be close.”

“I’m not going to fall down. I’m just dizzy,” Ryou complained, but he unbuttoned his pajama top and tossed on a black, long-sleeved under shirt and then layered it with a t-shirt. He slipped some jeans over his boxers at the same time. “I’m done.”

“Quick.” Malik looked over his shoulder. “You have no fashion sense.”

“Jeans and a t-shirt?” 

“That under shirt doesn’t go with it at all.”

“I get cold.” Ryou half-lied. 

“I suppose it’s better than the striped pajama top, plaid boxers, and blood-splattered socks you wore last night. I wouldn’t be caught dead in an outfit like that.” 

“I almost was.” Ryou laughed. “Besides, aren't you used to blood splatters on your clothes?”

“I can't believe you joked about your death.” Malik's jaw dropped.

“I'm sorry, I-”

“Sorry? Why are you apologizing to the guy who wanted to choke you?”

“To be polite.” 

“You're… interesting Ryou.”

“Thank you.” Ryou bit his bottom lip, hiding his smile.

“It doesn't change the fact that I’d never mix stripes with plaid, but I suppose you are only going to the ER.” 

“So glad I have the fashion police’s permission to leave my house.”

“You’re calling Yugi, right?” 

“No.” Ryou pouted. “I don’t want you to leave, and I don’t want to bother him. I’m going by myself.”

“What if I promised to stay?” Malik held Ryou’s hand and dropped on his knees so they were at eye level. “Ask Yugi to take you to the hospital, and I’ll hide until he’s gone.” 

“You’ll stay until I come back?” Ryou looked at him. 

“Yeah.” He reached out, toying with the ends of Ryou’s hair. “Someone’s got to keep an eye on you and make sure you’re okay, and it’s my fault you’re hurt, so it should be me.”

“Don’t feel sorry for me.” Ryou frowned. 

“It’s not that… I… I want…” Malik struggled to find his words. “It’s the first time I’ve ever felt like this, but I want to make it right?”

“All right, I’ll call Yugi.” Ryou threw his arms around Malik. “Feel free to raid my fridge, television, and internet while I’m gone. Make yourself at home. You can use the shower if you want to as well.” 

Malik grunted, and Ryou took an extra moment to soak up the warmth from his body before he forced himself to pull away. “I’d better get my cell phone.” 

“No, I’ll get it.”

Ryou opened his mouth to insist that he could do it, but Malik was already gone. Ryou hid his smile behind his hand when Malik walked back into the room.

“What?” Malik asked. 

“Nothing, I think it’s sweet. That you’re getting things for me.” 

“Is it? I… wanted to be…” Malik’s eyes darted back and forth as he looked for the right word. “Something other than cruel, but I’m not sure how to go about it.” 

“You’re doing a good job.” Ryou squeezed his hand. With a sigh of long suffering, Ryou looked up Yugi’s number and called it. It rang three times before Yugi answered. “Hi, Yugi. Um, it’s Ryou.”

_“Hey Ryou. Did you lose power last night? It was crazy on this end of town. Jonouchi and Honda came over with flashlights and we had an impromptu slumber party though, so that was fun.”_

“Yeah, sounds great.” Ryou sighed. 

_“Sorry, I guess we should have called you. But it happened last second-”_

“That’s okay, I wouldn’t have answered. Um…” Ryou paused and swallowed. He wanted to ask for help even less than before. Bad enough everyone forgot about Ryou- again- but now it was going to sound as if Ryou were trying to guilt-trip Yugi when he hadn’t even wanted to call in the first place. 

_“Ryou? Are you okay?”_

“It’s a funny story, really.” Ryou forced a laugh, but it sounded fake. “I was watching horror movies when the power went out, and I guess I got too scared. I… kinda jumped up and ran? And then I smashed my head into my bedroom door frame.” 

_“What?”_

“And I think I have a concussion. Actually, I know I do.” 

_“Ryou! Why didn’t you call sooner! We need to get you to a doctor.”_

“I was sleeping.”

_“Ryou!”_

“I know, Yugi. I… I know. Please, don’t yell at me. My head hurts.”

_“I’m sorry, I’m just worried. I’ll be over in a few minutes.”_

“I’m sorry, Yugi-”

_“No, no. It’s fine. I’m glad you called. Be right there, okay?”_

“Yeah. Bye.” Ryou nodded, hanging up the phone. 

“Are you okay?” Malik’s brow furrowed.

“Yeah…” Ryou sighed. 

“Do you always lie about your feelings?” he asked. 

“Not always.” Ryou fidgeted with his fingers. “I must seem pretty weak, huh? Relying on other people like this.” 

“Yeah, you’re pretty frail. I don’t think you’d survive five minutes in the Shadow Realm.”

“I _have_ survived the Shadow Realm. Or did you forget when you sent the Ring Spirit there I was forced to tag along for the ride?”

“Oh yeah.” Malik chuckled. “I did forget. We’ve never properly met before last night.” 

“No, we hadn’t.” Ryou rolled his eyes. “I should wait for Yugi in the living room.” 

“Here.” Malik scooped Ryou into his arms and carried him out of the bedroom. 

“I can walk.” Ryou pushed at his chest, trying to signal for Malik to set him down. 

“You’d probably run into a door again.” Malik snickered. 

“It was dark.” Ryou scowled. 

“I should have killed you.” Malik wrinkled his face as he lay Ryou on the sofa. “You were helpless, injured. It was the perfect chance to seize my prey.” 

“You sound like a cat toying with a mouse.”

“That’s because you’re a little white mouse.” Malik grinned. 

“And it was the purrfect chance to pounce on your prey.” Ryou gave Malik his own little smirk. 

“What is with the puns?”

“I don’t know.” Ryou shrugged. “The Ring Spirit would always whisper puns at me- all day long. It warped my mind, I guess.” 

“You sound like you miss it.”

“It’s… complicated.” Ryou sighed, glancing at the door and wondering when Yugi would show up. “Have you ever hated someone, _hated them because they were awful and deserved it_ , but wished you could have gotten along with them instead?” 

“Yeah… Malik. My- the other- whatever. My host ego? I-” The alternate Malik shook his head, his voice growing softer. “I hated him.”

“But maybe you wished things had been different?”

“Maybe.” Malik snorted. “But they weren’t.” 

“Yeah. Like I said. It’s complicated.” Ryou sighed. “Why didn’t you kill me when I hit my head? I was vulnerable.” 

“Yeah, you were, but… it was more fun before you hurt yourself.” A melancholy laugh slipped out from between Malik’s lips. “You were so calm, and that story was interesting. It distracted me enough for you to pull that flashlight stunt. Had you not hit your head, you probably would have gotten away, and no one’s ever been a match for me before.”

“It was…” Ryou blushed. “Fun. Not the part where I could have died, of course, but having to think quickly, and being physically quicker- _I’m so mad I hit my head_. I wanted to to prove I could survive on my own.” 

There was a knock at the door, and they exchanged a look. 

“There’s your escort.” Malik paused, then reached out and touched Ryou’s hair before disappearing. 

Ryou wished Malik could have gone with him instead. He could tell Malik another ghost story in the waiting room, or talk about Dead Before Daylight, or anything – better than having to listen to all the adventures Yugi went on with Jonouchi and Honda (while forgetting Ryou existed). Ryou sucked in a breath and pushed himself up. He swayed and held the couch arm for a moment before he risked walking towards the door. 

“Hey, Yugi,” Ryou greeted. “Sorry. I’m slow right now.”

“Oh Ryou, you’re so pale.” Yugi held his face, feeling his forehead. “I don’t think you have a fever, so that’s probably good. Ouch, is that where you hit your head?”

“Careful, Yugi.” Ryou winced when Yugi’s fingers probed the tender knot in his skull. 

“Please call me sooner next time.”

“I hope there isn’t a next time. I don’t plan on making it a habit of running into door frames.” 

“Of course not. Here, put your arm around my shoulders. We’ll get you to the doctor right away.” 

***

Malik waited until he heard the door close before creeping back into the living room. He spied out the broken window and watched the two get into a cab and drive away. 

“Ow,” Malik hissed between clenched teeth as a sharp prick stabbed into his toe. 

He looked down and saw a shard of glass jutting out from his sock. Blood soaked into the white fabric, spreading in a slow crawl that fascinated Malik into a trance. The slight prickling sensation of the glass began to throb and Malik’s body tingled with the familiar thrill of pain. He bent down and plucked the glass from his foot. Holding it, he stared at the way the sunlight gleamed off of the clear glass. He could cut his fingers with the glass, allow the stinging pain to shoot throughout his entire being. Like it used to...Like it used to. He could wait for Ryou to come home and cut him as well. The crimson against the white would be _so beautiful_. 

The edge of the glass shimmered; it reminded Malik of the way Ryou’s hair glistened in the morning light. 

_So beautiful_. 

A different sort of thrill rushed through him, one Malik didn’t quite understand. He suddenly couldn’t get the image of Ryou in his thigh-high, blood splattered socks out of his mind. The crimson looked beautiful against his skin.

And somehow, that was enough, the dye against cotton against his skin. It didn’t have to be blood. The socks were enough. Frowning at the fragment of glass, Malik went to the kitchen and fetched the trash bin and a broom he found in the pantry. He brought it to the window and hand-picked the larger shards up, sweeping the rest. Further investigation revealed a vacuum. Malik had never used one, but figured it out through trial and error. Having invested so much effort into cleaning the glass that he’d broken, Malik figured he’d finish the job and searched until he found Ryou’s extra room- a craft room with everything he needed to board up the broken window as a temporary fix. 

Malik stood back and examined his work. A strange sense of _satisfaction_ flooded through him. He’d fixed something. For the first time, he’d patched something up instead of shattered it. Malik frowned at his blood-stained foot and went into the bathroom. He took off his socks and decided to take off everything. Ryou told him he could use the shower and that would wash the blood from his toe easier than sticking his foot into the sink. Malik turned on the water, and when the air was thick with steam, Malik stepped beneath the jet. 

He sighed, eyes fluttering shut. He’d showered as Malik, but this was… different. In his own body. The warmth felt delicious against his skin, relaxing his muscles always tense with too much cortisol. Malik slid down until his ass smacked against the wet tiles. As he sat with water rushing off of his brown skin, he thought about the last twenty-four hours. 

He should have killed Ryou. He should have killed Ryou. He should have killed Ryou, but as he had stood there and watched Ryou crawl on his elbows in order to reach the toilet, he’d been overwhelmed with the need to _help_ instead of _hurt_. It was a strange, almost wrong feeling which grew until he broke down in Ryou’s arms and cried with him as they held each other. 

_I want to be held before it has to hurt more._

The statement resonated within Malik’s chest in a new way. He hugged himself in the shower. His eyes glazed over as the tiles below unfocused. 

“I have a friend,” Malik whispered to himself to make it real. “I need a name now.”

He rubbed his toe, checking over the tiny cut. It wasn’t deep nor was it bleeding, so he washed it and the rest of himself with soap and then turned off the cooling water. He thought of names as he walked in a towel to Ryou’s room. Malik meant king. Isis was a goddess. He wasn’t sure what Rishid meant. Malik pursed his lips as he dug through Ryou’s clothes. Ryou was smaller, but he found a baggy t-shirt and boxers to borrow while he tossed his clothes into the wash. A pile of dirty things already sat in a hamper near the washing machine, so he tossed everything inside. 

On his way back out of the laundry room, Malik noticed Ryou’s laptop. He took it to Ryou’s bedroom and connected to the internet in order to search for names. _Abba_ meant father. Fuck that name. _Abd er Rahman_ meant servant of the merciful one- definitely not him! _Abir_ meant strong, and he really liked that one. It was a female’s name, but he didn’t think he cared if the name was meant for a boy or a girl, whatever fit him better, but he thought he should go on at least a little longer before deciding. _Adara_ , female, beauty. _Adiba_ , female, polite- that would be a better name for Ryou than for _him_. _Abdullah_ , servant of God. He did like Ra, but it wasn’t as good as Abir. 

Then he noticed the name _Amir_. It meant prince, and something about that struck him as appropriate. If Malik was the King, that would make _him,_ who came after, a Prince. Someone with the same royal blood, but who was denied the throne, regardless of who deserved it more, because of a technical matter of who was “born” first. 

“Amir,” he said it out loud. Perhaps he should have read on, at least skimmed some of the other letters, but he liked Amir. It ended like a growl in his throat. He thought of Ryou saying it. His cheeks burned and his stomach fluttered.

Before he could figure out the feeling, he heard the front door open. Amir ran to the bedroom door and pressed his ear against it to listen. Their voices were faint, but he could catch what both Yugi and Ryou said.

“I’m better now, Yugi. I promise. Thank you, but I think I should rest now.”

“Just a moment. Here, sit on the sofa.” 

“Yes, but- Yugi, what are you doing?” 

“Taking a few cables home with me.” 

“Please don’t take my things like I’m a grounded teenager. We graduated high school years ago.” 

“It’s not like you’re grounded. I’m just… getting rid of the temptation.”

“Yugi-”

“You heard the doctor, Ryou. You’re dizzy and your vision is blurry. He told you to rest and nothing too physically or mentally stimulating. And that means no horror movies, no video games, and no working until you’ve recovered.” 

“That doesn’t mean-”

“I’ll bring them back in a month! Well, now that _that’s_ taken care of, it’s time to get you into bed.”

“I’m fine here, Yugi. Thank you.”

“Don’t be ridiculous, Ryou. You need to go to bed right away.” 

“Yugi, please-”

“Don’t worry. I’ll help you!”

“Yugi- wait. I’d rather stay in the living room so I can-”

“Not watch TV. I took the cable.” Yugi laughed.

“Fuck,” Amir swore under his breath. He ran to the bed, grabbed the laptop so Yugi couldn’t steal it, and hid in the closet. 

Ryou made excuses to keep Yugi out of his bedroom- with Yugi ignoring him- until they both burst into the room. 

“Oh…” Ryou said, the disappointment clear in his voice although Amir couldn’t see him.

“Is something wrong?” Yugi asked.

“No, I’m only tired. I would like to sleep now, please.” 

“Of course! Here we go… there. All tucked in. Goodnight! I’ll call you in a week to see how you’re doing.”

“Alright, thank you,” Ryou said again.

Amir clenched his fist. He wanted to punch Yugi for not _listening_ , but he knew Ryou would get upset, and he really didn’t want to see the Pharaoh’s old vessel again. Amir waited, holding his breath, until he knew Yugi was gone so he could let Ryou know he’d kept his promise and stayed. 


	3. Chapter 3

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> My brain is off in nanowrimo land, so plz feel free to poke me on tumblr or wherever and remind me to update this if I don't on Wednesdays. The whole story is written. The only thing I have to do is proof it for little errors before posting each week- but I'm only thinking about word counts atm, sorry orz

Ryou held his breath to keep the tears back. He could have blamed his crying on the concussion, but Yugi would have wanted to cheer him up. Ryou didn’t have the strength to fake happiness at that moment, so he maintained a calm demeanor until Yugi left. After Ryou heard the front door shut, he buried his face in his hands. His shoulders trembled and small, hiccuping sobs followed. Ryou curled into a ball and cried on his bed, unable to move.

“Did he make you cry? I’ll go and kick his fucking ass if he made you cry.”

“Malik?” Ryou jerked his head up and smeared the tears off of his cheeks. Ryou winced as the dizziness and nausea returned from sitting up too quickly, but Malik _was_ there, and Ryou’s chest filled with joy. “When I saw the room was empty, I thought you left.”

“I saved this from Yugi.” Malik’s former alter ego grinned and flashed Ryou’s laptop at him. “And it’s Amir now.”

“Amir?”

“Yes. I picked out a name right before you came back. It means prince.”

“That’s a very handsome name.”

“Do you want the laptop?” Amir offered the laptop to Ryou, who was staring off to the side. 

“No thank you. The doctor wants me to sleep as much as I can, but thank you. I mean, truly _thank you_ , for letting me make the decision on my own.” 

“Yugi’s such a do-goody twat. Don’t even pay attention to him. I’ll break his nose if you let me.”

“Please don’t. He’s still my friend. He means well, despite his lack of tact.” Ryou shook his head. “He stole the Ring from me, after you were defeated. He hid it, and then lied to me about having it. I found it in his room. Then after the Spirit lost his final game, he took it again. He’s no different now. Yugi’s trying to protect me by taking away the _bad things_. I know he’s honestly trying to be helpful, but I wish he’d _trust me_.” 

“He doesn’t sound like a good friend. Even I know you shouldn’t steal from and lie to your friends.”

“Yeah…” Ryou laid against the pillows at his headboard. “Yeah…” 

“I have to put the laundry in the dryer- oh, I grabbed these while my clothes washed, is that okay?” 

“You look cute in my clothes.” Ryou smiled. 

“Anyway, did you, um, need anything while I’m heading that way? Water? Or-” Amir scratched his spiky hair, grinning.

“I should get up.” Ryou pushed himself. “I need to eat something.”

“I can do it.” Amir rested his hands on Ryou’s shoulders to keep him in place. 

“I shouldn’t trouble you.”

“It’s new for me.” He shrugged, looking boyish in his excitement. “I’ve never cooked before. I want to try it.”

“I guess I should let you try new things,” Ryou said. Amir really _did_ look cute in Ryou’s clothes, and Ryou blushed because he knew he was staring a little. “There are some packets of miso soup in the pantry. You just add hot water. I’m too nauseous for anything else, but you can eat whatever you find. There’s cooked rice in the fridge.” 

“Okay. I’ll be back with soup.” Amir rushed off. 

Ryou used the chance to change into fresh boxers and a new pajama top. Instead of white blood-splattered socks, he picked black ones with bloody knives, just as high so Amir wouldn’t see Ryou’s legs. He settled beneath the covers and closed his eyes, dozing until he felt a warm, smooth palm resting against his cheek. 

“Amir?” Ryou murmured as his eyes fluttered open. 

“I like how it sounds when you say it.” Amir slid his fingers near Ryou’s mouth, tracing below Ryou’s bottom lip. 

Ryou gasped and his body trembled at the touch. His heart sped up enough to bring back his headache. Ryou rubbed at his temples in an attempt to quell the throb in his skull. 

“Are you okay?”

“The soup will help.” Ryou took the offered bowl into his hands, using his pillow as a table. “Thank you very much.” 

“Can I eat in here with you?”

“Please do. I’d very much enjoy your company.”

“Okay. Hold on.” 

Amir left again, and returned with miso soup and some shrimp tempura he’d found in Ryou’s freezer. They ate in silence, but that didn’t bother Ryou. The quiet felt companionable instead of awkward. 

“I’m so relieved you didn’t run off while I was gone.” 

“I told you, even I know not to lie to my friend. I said I’d stay, so I did.” 

“Mmmm, I really like that we’re friends. As soon as my head feels better, I promise I’ll show you some amazing video games and movies.” 

“You’re really into this stuff, aren’t you?” Amir fingered one of the knives on Ryou’s socks. 

“Yes. Horror has always been my favorite. Anything creepy.”

“ _Keh,_ Me too.” Amir blew on his soup. 

The way Amir’s lips puckered when he blew air onto his soup made Ryou forget his other thoughts. He blinked, shook his head, blamed his concussion, and continued sipping his own soup. He hadn’t wanted it, at first, but as he drank it, he realized he was starving and was glad to have it. 

“When I feel better, I’ll have to bake you something as well- as a thank you for the soup. What’s your favorite dessert?” 

“I don’t know.” 

“That’s okay. I love dessert. We’ll just keep trying more and more until we find one you think is best.”

“That’s what I did with my name. I thought about Abir, that means strong, but Amir seemed better.” 

“You didn’t want to look at more names before deciding?”

“No, I’m Amir now. I like how it sounds. I like how it feels in my mouth. I like how it reminds me of Malik, but it’s different.” 

“How is Amir like Malik?”

“Prince and King.”

“Ah, clever.” Ryou drank more soup. “This is good.”

“It’s hot water and powder.”

“But when you’re sick, stuff like this is good.”

“Is it? I’ve never been sick. I can’t remember Malik getting sick after the initiation except once. It was while the bandages were still on. Fever. We almost died.” 

“Amir, I’m so sorry.”

“I don’t care. I was strong enough not to get a fever, but that _idiot Rishid_ made me hide and Malik couldn’t take the pain. It’s his own damn fault he got sick.”

“I’m sorry you had to go through it at all.”

“I made sure _Malik's_ father went through everything he put me through. I sliced the skin off of his back.” 

“You don’t feel bad? At all?”

“No. Fuck Malik's dad. Asshole.”

“I feel bad, when I think about my dad. I’m finally old enough to realize he’s not a very good father.” Ryou closed his eyes and sighed, “Maybe if my mother was alive he would be, but I’ll never know. Still, it’s sad. I wish things were different.”

“Like the Ring?”

“Ah, that makes me sound like I have a complex, doesn’t it? Not quite like the Ring. In several ways, the Spirit was more supportive than my father.” Ryou snorted. “How awful is that?” 

“My mother died, too,” Amir said. “If she’s mine. I…hope she is, but she’d probably hate me as much as Ishizu does.” 

“Maybe not. Moms are special.” Ryou set down his bowl and took Amir’s hands in his own. “In any case, I don’t hate you.” 

“That’s good.” Amir bit his bottom lip and then jumped up. “I’m going to wash the dishes.” 

“You don’t have to.”

“You’re letting me stay here. I should do something.” 

*** 

Amir washed the dishes, filled the laundry basket with clean, dry clothes, and brought them into Ryou’s room to be folded. He set his outfit aside for later. Ryou had given permission to wear his clothes, and they smelled like Ryou, so Amir didn’t want to take his current outfit off. He folded everything else and set them on the empty half of the mattress. 

“You really shouldn’t,” Ryou said.

Amir raised a hand to stop him. “I told you. This is all new to me. I want to see what it feels like. I’m trying to figure out what feels better than killing people.”

“Not folding laundry, that’s for sure.” Ryou pressed his hands over his mouth. “That sounded horrible. I shouldn’t have said that. I’m sorry.” 

“I thought it was hilarious.” And Amir was laughing to prove it. 

“Killing people is only fun when it's imaginary. Otherwise it's bad.” Ryou shook his head.

“Are you just saying that so you don't try it?” Amir asked as he admired all the crazy socks Ryou owned.

“There's no need to clean up in a game, and you don't make other people sad.” 

“Who cares about other people? If you kill everyone then no one is left to be sad.” 

“There's billions of people in the world,” Ryou said.

“That wouldn't be a problem if I still had the Rod.” 

“But you don't.”

“And now I'm folding laundry. Don't worry.” Amir winked. “I'm going to see what life is like as a person. At least for a little while. I want to see which is better, so I don’t plan on hurting anyone- unless someone tried to hurt you, then I'd kill them.” 

“See? That's why you shouldn't kill people. That sadness you'd feel if someone hurt me? That's what you make other people feel.” 

“No, that can’t be the same way Malik felt when I killed his father.”

“I’m sure it was more complicated, but similar.” 

Amir’s brow furrowed. He couldn’t imagine the tight panic gripping his chest at the thought of Ryou being hurt having anything to do with how Malik felt afterward, once Rishid had sent Amir away. It was the old man’s fault Amir had to even kill him. He shouldn’t have tried to hurt them again. How could Malik mourn him? Then again, Amir never thought anyone would ever mourn him either, but Ryou had cried when he thought Amir left. 

“How would you feel if someone hurt me?” Amir asked.

“I’d do anything to keep that from happening.”

“Would you kill someone?” 

Ryou turned away. He looked upset. “I might…it depends on the circumstances, but if possible, I’d think of a way for you to escape without having to hurt anyone.” 

“Do circumstances justify murder?” Amir asked. 

“Are you playing devil’s advocate or are you trying to figure out the answer for your own circumstances?” Ryou replied with his own question. 

“The second one.” Amir lowered the hamper on the floor and filled Ryou’s dresser with the folded clothes. “It seems to me killing is wrong no matter what. Not that I care, but I _understand_ people think it’s wrong.”

“I agree. It’s never right to take an actual life. Like I said, it’s fun in games, but only because it’s not real.” 

“But you admitted you might kill someone to save me. Why?” Amir sat down on the bed next to Ryou. “You shouldn’t do it if you think it’s not right.” 

“It’s a matter of what’s more unbearable at the time. Killing is a sin, but I think failing to protect the people I care about is also a sin…and I’ve already lost too many people I love.” Ryou exhaled, sinking into his pillow. He looked exhausted. “Yugi should have let me keep the TV. Movies wouldn't be half as mentally stimulating as an ethics discussion.” 

“Right. Concussion.” Amir grit his teeth. He had to switch topics before he hurt Ryou more. 

“It’s not your fault. I love deep conversations, but it’s my head throb.” Ryou rubbed his temple below the swollen knot beneath his hair. 

“Try to sleep.” Amir smoothed his hand through Ryou’s hair. 

Afterward, he grabbed Ryou’s laptop and sat back onto the bed. Ryou fell asleep the moment they stopped talking. Amir played Wiki-tag, beginning with dissociation and ending up at self-schema. It got boring after an hour, so he turned off the laptop and wandered around the apartment again. Ryou had an extra room full of art supplies. Rummaging through various tubs, Amir found a sketch pad. He flipped through the sketch pad, mouth dropping when he saw images of ancient Egypt and even the Pharaoh. They were beautiful, and staring at them made him want to try drawing as well. He took the pad and a pencil set and wandered to the living room. Finding a blank page, Amir drew some of the monsters he remembered from the Shadow Realm. 

When it was time for dinner, Amir heated up more shrimp with the leftover rice and soup. He found a tray. allowing him to carry everything to Ryou’s bedroom. Ryou lay beneath his blanket, chest rising and falling in sleep. Amir rest the tray beside Ryou so he could wake him. White hair sprayed away from his head in a burst and it was so beautiful to look at that it almost hurt. Ryou's mouth hung ajar. A mild- endearing?- snore purred in rhythm with his rising and falling chest. Amir reached out, tracing the white snakes of hair dancing away from Ryou’s head. He leaned closer, drawn somehow, down, down, until their noses almost bumped. He didn’t know what he wanted to do, but he wanted to do it _badly_. 

“Ryou,” Amir whispered just over Ryou’s lips. Yes, good, that was part of it. Part of what he wanted, to whisper Ryou’s name like a sigh, but there was more and he couldn’t figure out _what_. 

Ryou snorted in his sleep and turned away from the sound. Amir caught Ryou’s face. _Yes. Yes. Yes._ This was it too. Hold his face, whisper his name, and… and… and… 

“R-Ryou,” Amir whispered again, still unsure of the shaky feeling in his chest. 

“Hmmm? Hey Amir,” Ryou murmured. 

“Still sounds good when you say my name.” 

“Amir.” Ryou half opened his eyes, keeping his stare lidded. 

“Ryou…” Amir whispered again, licking his lips. 

“Everything’s okay, right? What time is it?” 

“Huh? Oh...night. Not sure when. I made dinner.”

“Thank you.”

“Here.” Amir sat on the bed and situated the tray between them. 

He helped Ryou sit up, fluffing the pillows behind him so he could rest and eat at the same time. Ryou drank his soup first, and then took one of the two bowls of rice. 

“I’m so hungry.” 

“Should I make more food?” Amir asked. 

“No, this is great. It’s so good.” Ryou shut his eyes and exhaled through his nose. The calm, satisfied look on his face made it hard for Amir to swallow. Ryou opened his eyes, training his stare on Amir and making Amir’s belly quiver. “Thanks again. I know I’m saying it too much, but…I’m so happy.”

“Because of the soup?” Amir laughed. 

“No, because someone’s here to make it and bring it to me. I’m used to doing everything myself no matter how bad I feel.” Ryou groaned. “Even after Battle City when the Spirit stabbed me. Stupid spirit could have at least cooked a few meals if he was going to stab my arm. Fuck.” Ryou set down the rice and hid his face in his hands. 

“What’s wrong?” Amir stroked Ryou’s hair. Ryou didn’t flinch or seem bothered by the gesture, so Amir continued to comb through the foamy, white mess as Ryou spoke. 

“I sound pathetic, like I’m going to fall in love or something just because no one’s ever been nice to me before. How _dumb_. It’s not like the others wouldn’t help out if I asked them to, but-”

Amir rested his hand on Ryou’s cheek again, and Ryou’s words died on his lips. Amir struggled to express his thoughts. He frowned, dropping his hand. 

“I was going to kill you.”

“I know,” Ryou muttered. “That makes it worse.”

“I don’t know what exactly stopped me.” Amir shook his head, stabbing at his bowl of rice with chopsticks. “I really do hate the smell of vomit. It was the first thing I ever tasted- Malik’s sick in my mouth the second I came into existence, so that was part of it, but it was more. Maybe it was the story, or the way you made my chase feel like a game, so when you hit your head, I already won and didn’t need to finish because-” Amir jerked his head up again. “Because if I killed you, it'd be over and we couldn’t play again. You were right, a game’s more fun because you can play as many times as you want.” 

“Next time let me chase you around.” Ryou continued eating. 

“That might be fun, with you.” A strange shiver jolted through Amir’s body as he imagined Ryou catching him in the dark. Catching him, _biting him_ , Amir fidgeted with his chopsticks to distract himself from the strange, half-formed daydream sweeping through his body like a physical rush.

“As soon as my head’s better we can rearrange the furniture to make a sort of maze, and we can use fans as mock blades to ‘attack’ each other.”

“Fans?” Amir snorted. “ _Pfffft_ , won’t be near as good.”

“Yes it will. I’ll show you. Let me get my fans.”

“You stay in bed.” Amir jabbed Ryou’s chest with his finger.

“They're only in my craft room. I wouldn't have to walk far.”

“I’ll get them.” 

“But-”

“I think I saw them earlier.”

“Okay.” Ryou nodded, capitulating. 

They both finished their rice and shrimp, and Amir moved the tray out of the way. He went into the craft room, finding an entire box of paper fans in a corner with other stage props. He grabbed two, a red one and a black one, and carried them back to Ryou’s bedroom. 

“Turn off the light,” Ryou said. 

“Why?”

“To simulate the game. It’s not the same if you can see it’s a fan. You need to use your imagination.”

“No amount of imagination is going to make this a knife, and turning off the lights won’t psych me out. Remember? I was born from darkness and lived in it. I love the dark.”

“But it will help immerse me into the scene, so even if you can see in the dark, you should turn off the lights. You’ll enjoy the game more in the dark.” Ryou bit his bottom lip, trying to hold back a grin.

“You’re morbid, wanting to be attacked in the dark.” Amir flicked the lights off, walked towards the bed, and eased beside Ryou. He reached up to grab Ryou’s hair but remembered the welt on Ryou’s scalp, so he settled for dragging the red fan down Ryou’s lips. “See? Not scary.”

Ryou fumbled in the dark and Amir pushed the black fan into Ryou’s hands. Ryou slid the fan right beneath Amir’s jaw line. Amir sucked in a quiet breath. Of course it didn’t have the edge of a knife, but somehow, the paper brushing against Amir’s skin gave him the same _thrill_ as Ryou leaned close. 

“Think of the entire scenario. Everything’s set up like a maze. It’s dark. The chase begins, and when the chased gets cornered they feel this.” 

Amir tilted his neck a little. Ryou sensed his cue and dragged the fan’s edge from Amir’s jaw and down his throat, teasing his collarbone. The fan disappeared, and Amir opened his mouth to protest until he felt a mild jab against his kidney. He laughed then, and saw Ryou smile in the dark. 

“ _Yesss_ ,” Amir hissed, drawing it out for dramatics. “I see the appeal.” 

He pressed his hand against Ryou’s chest, but was careful as he lay Ryou down into the mattress. He used the fan to tease down Ryou’s body in the same way he would with the tip of a dagger. 

“Sometimes fans were used instead of swords during seppuku rituals,” Ryou explained, hitching up into Amir’s mock strokes. “They’d touch their stomach with the fan, and the _kaishakunin_ would deliver the _coup de grace_.”

“Is that how you got the idea?”

“Yes.” 

Amir acknowledged Ryou with a grunt, but he was distracted by the way his imaginary blade toyed with Ryou’s body. He slipped the fan beneath Ryou’s shirt, drawing a delightful gasp from Ryou that made Amir twitch. Ryou sat up, pressing the tip of his own fan against Amir’s sternum. Amir pulled Ryou into his lap so he could press his fan against Ryou’s neck. Their mouths hovered again, just as they had before dinner, only now Ryou was awake and the moment felt charged with electricity. Amir wanted to dissolve into it, the tense, delicious feeling. 

“If I were sick, you’d take care of me, right?” Amir asked. 

“Of course I would. I hate seeing people suffer in any circumstances, and friends moreso.” 

“Then you don’t have to feel dumb, about being happy, or about me taking care of you.” Amir raised the fan to Ryou’s lips again, tracing his mouth, dragging the tip down Ryou’s bottom lip, toying with Ryou until Ryou breathed through his mouth instead of nose. Amir wasn’t even pretending it was a knife anymore, just an extension of his own arm. “So what if I’m helping you? You’d do the same for me. We’re even. Besides…” 

“Yeah?” Ryou teased his fan across Amir’s chest. He accidentally caught Amir’s nipple through his t-shirt and Amir squeaked at the unexpected- wonderful- sensation. 

“Did it hurt?” Ryou asked, backing away. 

“Surprised me.” Amir laughed, his face burning. 

“What were you going to say before then?”

“Nothing.”

“Please, tell me.” 

“I like your smile,” Amir blurted in a quick breath. “I like getting things for you because it makes you smile.”

His words made Ryou smile, and Ryou’s smile made Amir’s heart beat out of control. 


	4. Chapter 4

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I think I accidentally skipped another update. November's are always so busy, sorry orz
> 
> ***mild cw for violent thoughts at the end of the chapter (and through out the entire fic, tbh, should have cw that earlier)*** bless YM's violent little heart

They lay on their sides, teasing each other with their fans. At some point they dropped the fans, and reached out with their fingers, gracing them along their faces. Ryou’s eyes fluttered shut. He kept tracing his fingers along the ridge of Amir’s collarbone until he slipped into sleep. An ache in his bladder woke Ryou. He lay tangled with Amir’s limbs and nuzzled against his chest. Ryou blinked and looked around in the dark. He pulled away enough to find his phone and checked the time: 3 a.m.

“You okay?” Amir’s voice sounded gruff from sleep. 

“I need to pee.” Ryou felt foolish admitting it.

“Here.” Amir crawled out of bed, walking around to Ryou’s side to help him up. 

“Please lie down. I can walk to the bathroom on my own.” Ryou wondered if Amir could see his blush in the dark. 

“Okay.” Amir sat on the edge of the bed, yawning. “But I’m right here if you need a shoulder.” 

“Thank you.”

Ryou expected Amir to insist on helping despite his protest, but realized Amir was trusting Ryou to ask for help if he needed it. Ryou smiled. 

Determined not to need help, Ryou used the nightstand as a prop to help himself stand. He waited until the initial rush of dizziness and nausea passed before he staggered towards his doorway- the stupid doorway that caused his problems in the first place. Ryou held onto the frame for a moment to catch his breath. Weakness tugged at his muscles and Ryou almost cursed, but didn’t want Amir to take it as a plea for help, so he set his jaw in place and used the wall to brace himself as he made his way to the restroom. He used the toilet, and washed his hands, and drank water straight from the sink to save time and a glass. Drying his face and hands with a towel, Ryou started the slow trek back to his bedroom. By the time he was back at the doorway, he was panting. He leaned against the cool, painted wooden frame, closing his eyes and hating the fatigue fighting through his system. 

“Ryou?”

“I feel worse than yesterday,” Ryou confessed. “I hate this.” 

“What do you want me to do?”

Ryou opened his mouth to say _stay there_. It was only a few more steps to the bed, but his legs shook. Ryou’s face burned. He squeezed his eyes shut. He _did not_ want to admit he needed help, but Amir had trusted him to ask if he needed it. 

“Could you… help me back into bed? I’m too dizzy.” 

It was still inhuman, how fast Amir moved in the dark. He glided, like a seal- clumsy on land, graceful in water. Ryou fell into Amir’s arms and allowed Amir to scoop him up and carry him before easing him back onto the mattress and under the covers. 

“Need anything?”

“No thank you.” Ryou squeezed Amir’s forearm to show his gratitude. 

“Be right back, I have to use the bathroom as well.” 

Ryou fell asleep before Amir returned. Passing out and coming to always reminded Ryou of when he died and came back during his and Yugi’s first RPG. He existed and then he was suddenly back, only aware that a black in-between existed because he was reviving from it. He woke up to sunlight and an empty bed. Reaching for his phone, Ryou noticed the clock on his nightstand was set to the correct time. 10:00 am. He’d slept more than twelve hours. 

“You’re awake.” Amir walked into the room with the food tray in his hands. 

“Smells good.” Ryou held his grumbling stomach. 

“I used the laptop to find out how to make tamago and tofu. Is this okay for breakfast? The website said to serve it with fish and umeboshi, but-” 

“It’s an amazing breakfast, Amir,” Ryou interrupted. 

“You don’t have any fish.” 

“No, I needed to go to the grocery store yesterday, but then everything happened.”

“Could I go?” Amir placed the tray on the bed and took his own dishes from it. 

A heavy, nervous feeling seized Ryou’s stomach at the thought of Amir loose in Domino City on his own. “I… don’t know. Do you think you could go without hurting anyone?” 

“Sure. I told you, I want to live like this for awhile. It’s been interesting so far, to do normal stuff. As long as no one starts anything at the market, I won’t need to finish anything.” 

“Fair enough. I supposed it’d be all right.” Ryou blew against the steaming rice and took a bite. “Wow, you’re a good cook!”

“The recipe was easy to follow.” Amir looked bashful as he toyed with his food. 

The tofu was crispy on the outside and soft on the inside. The texture was perfect, the rice and eggs as well. Ryou hummed in contentment as he ate, and the bashful smile never left Amir’s face as he watched Ryou while they both ate. 

“Decide what you want to cook this week and give me a pen and paper, and I’ll make you a shopping list.” 

“Okay.” Amir rushed off to clean the dishes and returned with the laptop, a pen, and Ryou’s sketchbook. 

“Oh, maybe not that paper. That’s for drawing. There should be lined paper in the craft room, though.”

“Got it.” Amir nodded before disappearing again. 

Ryou smiled when he noticed what sketchpad Amir happened to grab. He lifted it up and flipped through it, his smile growing as he looked at his and the Spirit’s drawings. He stopped on one of the Spirit’s drawings of the Thief King. His chest felt tight, thinking about it, thinking about how unfair it all was. Ryou flipped past several other sketches, trying to shake the melancholy creeping into his thoughts. He stopped when he noticed several new drawings. 

Ryou tilted his head, examining the captivating, almost scrawling style of the lines. Each page was a new monster, horrifying in design, but lovely in the quality of which it was drawn. Ryou recognized the fiends, they were monster cards, but he’d seen them in real life as well- in the Shadow Realm. 

“Is it okay that I used that paper?” 

Ryou looked up and noticed Amir standing at the foot of the bed and fidgeting with a regular notebook. 

“Yes. This book is for drawing, so it’s fine. They’re gorgeous,” Ryou said. “Could Malik draw?” 

“Honestly? I don’t know.” Amir sat down on the bed and swapped notebooks with Ryou. He examined his own work. “I just saw all the pictures of Egypt and wanted to draw my own.” 

“I love them. They’re creepy, but beautiful.” 

“Ha, like you.” His eyes rounded. “Um, I mean-”

“So, you think I’m creepy, do you?” Ryou grinned, leaning a little closer. Everyone thought he was beautiful, there was no glamour in that half of the compliment, but he rather enjoyed being referred to as creepy. 

“I mean, you look a bit like a corpse.” Amir brushed the pad of his thumb beneath Ryou’s eye. “I thought the Thief never let your body sleep while he was using it and that’s why you had the circles, but they’re as bad as ever.” 

“Low iron and bad gaming habits.” Ryou grinned. 

“Low iron? You should drink blood.” Amir licked his lips as if he could taste blood on them. 

“Like a vampire?” Ryou laughed. He scooted a little closer, leaning in and snapping his teeth as if he were going to latch onto Amir’s neck. 

Amir’s eyes shut as he uttered a low groan as Ryou drew closer. The sound froze Ryou as a wave of dizziness swept over him because of his rushing heartbeat. 

“I-I was joking. Don’t be afraid, I won’t really bite you.” 

“Oh.” The word sounded too brief and too simple, as if Amir had more to say, but he replaced it all with a generic response. He became engrossed in his drawings. “I wasn’t afraid.” 

“Acting in character, then?” Ryou giggled, but his cheeks burned and he realized that maybe the joke hadn’t been funny after all. “If you act that well, chasing you in the dark will be fun once I’m better.”

“Vampires vs shadows.” Amir laughed, eyes still locked onto his sketches. “Careful, though, I bite back.”

Ryou’s stomach looped and his breathing grew shallow. The only problem was his excitement was making him woosey. He lay down, closing his eyes for a moment and willfully calmed himself. 

“Recipes,” Amir said. Ryou heard his fingers clicking against the laptop keyboard.

Ryou reached for the writing pad. He scribbled _shopping list_ on the top and glanced over Amir’s shoulder. He scrolled through a list of Japanese dishes. 

“Tonkatsu?” he asked.

“It’s good. Want me to write it down?”

Amir nodded, so Ryou wrote down pork loin, cabbage, and eggs. Everything else he should have already had in the pantry. 

“What about oyakodon?” 

“That will be good for me while I recover. Ramen too.” Ryou added the ingredients to his list. “It doesn’t have to be traditional food. Isn’t there something from Egypt you want to eat?” 

“No.” Amir’s expression soured. “I’m living like this now, so I want to try new food.” 

“How about- French cuisine? If you like cooking you might have fun playing with a European recipe.” 

“Okay, I’ll look.” He scrunched up his face. “Boiled cow’s head?”

“Um, maybe not that one.” Ryou laughed. 

“Chocolate souffle.” Amir grinned. 

“Now we’re talking. Desserts are the best.”

They looked up a few more recipes, lasagna, peanut stew, pierogi, and shark. Ryou wrote everything down, glad he wasn’t going to see the final bill with so many different kinds of food on the list. It was worth it to see how excited Amir got at the thought of trying a little bit of everything, however, and Ryou was looking forward to a week of eating home cooked food he didn’t have to make himself. Amir changed into his regular clothes while Ryou finished their shopping list. Ryou explained how to use a debit card, and handed Amir his wallet and a backpack in which to carry everything back home. 

“Here’s my phone with a street map that will lead you to the store. Are you sure you want to do this? I could go myself, or even send Yugi to pick up some packaged food.” 

“I’ve never gone grocery shopping before. This is going to be interesting.” Amir touched Ryou’s hair, and Ryou’s heart fluttered again. “Rest while I’m gone. When I come back I’ll make lunch.”

“O-okay,” Ryou stammered, wishing Amir would play with his hair a little longer, but Amir pulled his hand away and left to go shopping. 

Exhaling, Ryou dropped onto his pillows and closed his eyes, exhausted from nothing more than eating breakfast and writing a list. He was sleeping before he knew it. 

***

Amir sucked air into his lungs, enjoying the smell. The summer morning was already getting warm and the sun felt good against his face. He never knew he wanted sun on his face, but now that he experienced it, he wanted as much of it as he could grab. He felt that way about a lot of things. Being held, tasting food, touching Ryou's hair, and mending things instead of breaking them.

He passed other people in the streets with the same indifference one would pass by empty cars in a parking lot. He was content to walk by and let the creatures continue to breathe and exist, but felt no connection to them, no desire to see them either succeed or fail in whatever goals they had. Ryou was the only one he saw as a person and not some cattle who could be slaughtered or kept alive as a pet depending on one's mood. He knew now he was a complete person, and not a fragment of Malik’s mind, he should have shared some sort of kinship with other humans, but he hadn’t developed that connection yet, and didn’t know if he ever would or not. 

Stopping a moment to adjust the straps on his empty backpack, Amir walked the last block to the market. Stepping into the store was overwhelming. Malik never bothered with grocery shopping, it was something for Rishid or random Ghouls, so Amir wasn't sure what to expect. Bright, fluorescent lights flashed against the linoleum and people carried baskets or pushed carts as they examined fruits, vegetables, and chunks of meat wrapped in clear plastic. 

Amir started in produce, reaching out and touching the blushing flesh of an apple. It wasn't on the list, but he put it in his basket anyway because he wanted it. He found cabbage, onions, garlic, potatoes, scallions, carrots, and a few other things on Ryou's list. The colors piled up in the cart, mesmerizing Amir. Nothing grew in the tombs; there was no fresh meat or produce. Those details weren’t important before, when his only reason for existing was to harbor all of Malik’s rage and hurt, but the longer he existed on his own, the more important stupid things became in his mind. Amir ran his thumb across the apple again. The skin gleamed in the fluorescent lighting, and it felt smooth against his touch. 

He was so spellbound by the piece of fruit that he almost didn’t notice Anzu and Shizuka walking down one of the isles. Amir froze as panic coursed through his body. If they saw him they would scream, and he’d have to run away, and then Ryou wouldn’t even trust him to do something as simple as pick up groceries. Amir backed up three paces, spun his cart around, and shoved it down the aisle as fast as he could without slamming into anything. He hid behind the end cap full of coconut milk and watched the two girls as they laughed. 

“What do you think? Salt and Vinegar or Wasabi?” Anzu asked Shizuka. 

The younger girl wrinkled her nose. “As much as my brother eats? Get both.”

“Okay.” Anzu laughed, dropping both bags into a handbasket. “What else should we bring to Yugi’s tonight?” 

“Let’s bake a cake for everyone,” Shizuka suggested. 

“Oh, that will be fun! Okay, I think flour and sugar are on the next aisle. Let’s go.” 

Amir made sure they didn’t see him and then peaked around the coconut milk. They were gone and he snuck into the lane once again, hoping they didn’t backtrack. He wasn’t sure what to do. If he continued shopping he risked them finding him, but he couldn’t leave without everything on his list. Amir decided to trail them a little longer and hope that after the cake ingredients they’d leave him to shop in peace. 

Like a cat in a new home, Amir crept down the hall and checked the corner before turning his cart. He saw them grabbing flour, sugar, and oil for their cake. They laughed and linked arms as they walked, talking about their friends, and it was obvious that everyone was meeting at Yugi’s place that evening. 

Everyone except Ryou, of course.

The edges of Amir’s vision blurred as rage flooded his thoughts. Sure, Ryou was too sick to go to a party, but why were they having a party without him? He remembered Yugi apologizing for not checking on him during the blackout. It seemed common that the others simply forgot about Ryou- Ryou who told interesting ghost stories and liked killing games- Ryou who was better than all of them put together, but somehow got ignored. Amir’s teeth clacked as he tightened his jaw. He wanted to find an ax and crash Yugi’s stupid party and split their skulls like firewood. The wet _crack_ as the steel sank into bone and soft tissue would sound amazing, and the sudden halting of momentum as the ax stuck into their heads would feel _so damn good_ to Amir’s arms. 

His hands gripped onto the handle of his cart to keep himself from dashing toward the eggs where both girls stood and laughed. Amir imagined how their neck bones would crackle if he snapped them with his bare hands. They deserved it. Amir was sure of that, but he knew Ryou would cry when he found out. Amir shook the intrusive thoughts out of his head, grinding his teeth until the urge to shove his fingers through their eye sockets passed. After eggs, they grabbed a carton of milk, and then strolled towards the checkout lane. Oblivious to their danger, oblivious to the fact that Ryou had indirectly saved their lives. 

Amir pushed his cart to the back of the store, as far away from the checkout as he could get. 


	5. Chapter 5

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> So I guess we're updating on Sundays now? The schedule got too messed up during Nano orz
> 
> Mild disclaimer: more intrusive thoughts and a scene in the kitchen where Amir contemplates self-violence and tries to figure out how to redirect his violent thoughts (for others and toward himself)

Ryou woke up to a wonderful smell. He hummed and licked his lips as his eyes fluttered open. Ryou was sore from laying in bed for too long, thirsty, and had to pee again. He looked out the window and saw stars and street lights. Night- he’d slept the entire day. He pushed himself up, giving himself enough time for the room to stop spinning, and stumbled to the bathroom. After using the toilet, Ryou washed his hands and leaned against the cool, bathroom wall for a minute to recover. 

When he reached the kitchen, he saw Amir standing in front of the counter and staring at a knife in his hand. His eyes were hazy, as if lost in a daydream of some sort, but he was frowning. 

“Amir? Are you okay?” Ryou asked. 

“Ryou? Are _you_ okay?”

“Yeah, I just wanted to stretch, but I asked you first.” 

“I’m just cutting green onions.” Amir turned back to the counter and sliced several scallions with the knife. 

“It looked like you were imagining cutting something else,” Ryou said.

“The old thoughts… are still there. In my head.”

“Was it me?” Ryou asked. He didn’t know how he’d feel if Amir _had_ been fantasizing of killing Ryou again, but he felt like it was important to know. 

“No!” Amir set the knife down hard onto the cutting board. He turned and shot Ryou a hurt look. “No. Not you. I don’t think that way about you anymore.” 

A weird sort of relief washed over Ryou, but he was concerned about the hurt look in Amir’s eyes. “Who then?”

Amir’s gaze dropped to the floor. 

“Tell me, and I’ll tell you another story while you cook dinner.” Ryou chose to sit down so he didn’t exhaust himself too soon. 

“You’re not supposed to be thinking of stories.” 

“I’ll tell you about the time I died.”

Amir tilted his head, curiosity replacing the hurt in his features. “You mean when I sent you the to Shadow Realm?”

“No. I mean the time I died.” Ryou raised up his hand. “The day I got this scar, but I won’t tell you anything else unless you talk to me.”

“It was me.” Amir’s words were soft as he turned back around and stirred the broth on the stove. He finished chopping the spring onions, speaking as he worked. “I wanted to cut myself.”

“Why?” Ryou frowned. 

“To feel it. I haven’t felt pain in a while and it’s… weird, to not hurt at all.” His eyes lidded. “Pain makes everything tingle and relax. I get giddy. I didn’t hurt anyone at the store, although there were some annoying girls that I wanted to chop up like stew meat, but I didn’t and, it just felt like I should do _something_ , and the knife was _so shiny_ , and, and-” Amir shook his head, dropping the knife again. He paced and tugged at his spikes of hair. “I’m fucked up. I’m so fucked up, but the thoughts won’t _stop._ I’m trying, I’m trying, I’m trying, but my brain is just _fucked_.” 

“Amir.” Ryou stood up.

“I won’t hurt you!” He shouted. 

“I believe you.” Ryou flinched from reflex, but he wasn’t afraid. It was only a reaction to the loud noise. “Sometimes I want to steal things.”

“What?” Amir stopped, blinking at Ryou in confusion. 

“It’s like the puns. The Spirit had an affinity for glittery things, so he shoplifted a lot, and he was connected to me for so long. Sometimes I’ll be holding something and I just want to _take it_ because he would have, but each time I feel awful.”

“You steal things?” Amir held his belly as he laughed. 

“Sometimes.” Ryou blushed. 

“You look so innocent. I can’t imagine.” 

“No one can. I’m adorable and polite. It’s far too easy to take things. I’m better at it than the Spirit was, and I hate it.” 

“At least stealing doesn’t hurt anyone. I wish that’s all I wanted to do.” 

“It’s still wrong.” Ryou walked towards Amir, holding his shoulders. “Will only pain make you relaxed and giddy? Sometimes when I want to steal something, I buy it instead. Owning it satisfies the craving without me having to pocket it. It’s worth the money to not have the guilt, although I have a huge jewelry collection that’s completely useless to me because I don’t want to wear any of it.” 

“I don’t know. I’m still trying to experience new things,” Amir answered, eyes unfocused as he stared at Ryou. “So maybe there’s something I could do instead? But what?” 

“Does this tingle?” Ryou scrapped his nails down Amir’s bare arms, not enough to scratch, just enough for him to feel the sensation. 

“Oh, yes.” Amir’s lids dropped and his mouth opened wide as he gasped. “It’s… it’s not similar, but it satisfies in a similar way.” 

“Good enough?”

“I want it more.” He grabbed the back of Ryou’s head and brought their faces close. 

Ryou moaned, but it was a mixture of excitement and pain as Amir’s grip squeezed his tender head.

“Shit, your head. I wasn’t thinking-” Amir pulled away. 

“It’s okay. It’s okay. It didn’t really hurt. It’s just delicate. Don’t let go.” Ryou grabbed Amir’s wrists and yanked them towards his body.

Amir’s eyes widened at the forceful movement and his skin glowed as if his darker complexion was trying to blush. It was very cute, and Ryou wished he could shove Amir’s fingers back into his hair, but knew his head would hurt too much, so he settled for placing Amir’s palms firmly onto his hips. 

“Um, R-Ryou…”

“You said it was better, right? I can keep going.”

“I think I liked it a little _too_ much.” Amir looked away, and there was an unmistakable mauve tint coloring his copper cheek. 

“I don’t mind.” Ryou smiled, letting go of Amir’s wrists only so he could graze his nails across Amir’s skin again. 

“Dinner.” Amir pulled away, lowering the stove-heat before the broth could simmer over. 

He set a kettle onto another burner and started a second pot of water for the noodles. Ryou pouted, but sat back down because standing had drained his energy again. 

“You were suppose to tell me about how you died,” Amir spoke while he finished their food. 

“My favorite game is Monster World. It’s a tabletop RPG, and Bakura- the Ring Spirit- grew fond of it as well. I’d blackout, and when I came to, all my friends would be passed out on the floor, but they never woke up. I watched an ambulance take them away on three separate occasions. The first time I thought maybe carbon monoxide poisoning. It would have explained why I blacked out as well. The second time I wasn’t sure what to think, but I knew I shouldn’t play anymore.” Ryou shook his head. “But the last of my friends wanted to know what happened. They were convinced that if they could figure it out, everyone in a coma would wake up and go back to normal, so we played one last game. The third time I woke up, I realized it had something to do with me. I moved to Domino to get far away from anyone else I knew so they didn’t end up in a coma, too.” 

“Ha, too bad Yugi didn’t end up in a coma, stupid jerk.”

“Had it not been for the Pharaoh, Yugi and the others _would have_. The Spirit took control of my body and invited them over to my apartment to play Monster World. Turns out, he was using the Ring to put everyone’s soul into the figurines.”

“The little dolls on your bookshelves?” Amir asked.

“You may have seen the ones that look like Yugi and some of the others. They actually possessed those dolls during the game.”

“You too?”

“Yes. Yugi managed to pull a piece of my soul out of Zorc’s character. Because of that, I learned how to stay conscious even if the Spirit took over. I also kept control of my left hand.” Ryou flashed his scar again, squeezing and un-squeezing his fist. The skin maring his palm was tight and inflexible. “He didn’t like my meddling so he slammed my hand into a tower spire.” 

“That’s awesome.” Amir’s eyes flashed with an excited spark. 

“There was blood everywhere.” Ryou raised an eyebrow and smirked. He loved horror stories, and this was _his horror story_ , and while the others pitied Ryou for having the Ring, Amir just stared with rapt attention, waiting to hear how the story ended. 

“Did it hurt?”

“Like hell.” Ryou laughed. “I was too mad to care at the time. I wasn’t about to lose more friends, no matter what I had to do to save them. It came down to a final dice roll.”

“That should be easy.” Amir shrugged, draining the ramen noodles and plating two bowls. “With Mr. Pharaoh rolling the dice.”

“You would think so, but Bakura was using rigged dice.” 

“So how did the Pharaoh get himself out of that situation?”

“I possessed the dice myself and destroyed them.” 

Amir added tea to two cups, but when he heard the end of Ryou’s story he turned around and sat across from him. “And destroyed yourself?”

“Yes.” 

“For them?” 

“For them,” Ryou echoed, “And for myself. I wanted to save them, but I also wanted to win, to prove I was as good as the Spirit in his own twisted version of the game.” 

“ _Keh_ , you're the most interesting person I've ever met.” Amir stood and finished their tea.

“How so?” Ryou took the cup Amir handed him. “Thank you.” 

“You're kind like the others, but in a lot of ways, you're more like me than you'll ever be like them.” 

“I consider that as a compliment.” Ryou ran his finger around the lip of his mug. 

“Here.” Amir set a large bowl of ramen down in front of Ryou.

His face lit up at the sight of food. “Thank you. This looks delicious.” 

“It’s nice…” Amir twirled the noodles around with his chopsticks. “To _make_ things- instead of destroying them. To at least have a choice between the two.” 

“Everyone should get to choose.” Ryou slurped noodles into his mouth. “As difficult as the world is, I think it’s a blessing, that most of us choose to make things instead of destroy them. Those who live a normal life are much stronger than they tend to get credit for.”

Amir stared at Ryou, his chopsticks forgotten in his hand. He looked thoughtful for a long time, then nodded. “Yes. Killing Malik’s father was easy. Going grocery shopping was difficult.” 

They ate in silence, the humming of the refrigerator the only sound in the room. Amir washed the dishes in the sink.

“Lying down is boring.” Ryou carefully stood. “I at least want to sit in the living room before I have to go back to my room.” 

Amir offered his arm, and Ryou smiled as he took it. The walk felt like a mile, and Ryou was panting by the time he plopped down on the sofa. 

“Ryou?” Amir frowned.

“I've felt worse.” Ryou cupped Amir's face. “Don't worry. I'm just tired. I'll go back to sleep after an hour or so.” 

“What shall we do?” Amir asked. “You can't really do anything when you're this sick.” 

“Would you draw for me? I'd love to watch.” 

“I don’t know.” Amir turned to look away. 

“Your monsters are great. I can doze here on the couch if I get too tired.” Ryou gave him puppy eyes, hoping it would convince him to let Ryou have his way. 

“All right. One picture.” Amir grinned, his features melting a little as he looked at Ryou.

He ran and fetched the notebook and pencil from Ryou’s room. When he returned, he propped the pad in his lap and stared at the paper for a moment. The pencil tip touched the white sheet and he dragged it down the page, starting a line. 

“Will it be something frightening?” Ryou asked in a hushed, excited whisper. 

“Of course.” Amir grinned, eyes trained on the paper. “I know your tastes well enough by now.” 

Ryou leaned a little closer, resting his head against Amir’s left arm. Ryou couldn’t help cooing as the warmth from Amir’s body seeped into Ryou. He watched as the picture progressed, blinking as the shape of a Samurai took form. 

“That’s not a duel monster.”

“Nope.” Amir stuck his tongue out as he started to add hair.

Ryou’s eyes widened. “You’re drawing the scene from the story I told you.”

“Yes.” Amir continued to thicken the black strands of hair being pulled from between the samurai’s lips. The warrior’s eyes were wide in abjection and terror as he pulled his dead wife’s hair from his mouth. 

“It’s wonderful,” Ryou gasped, feeling his cheeks flush. “I’m going to frame this and hang it on my wall.”

“It’s not that good,” Amir muttered. 

“It is. The detail you add! There’s drool dribbling down his chin, and the sallow cheeks, and the fly in the corner of his eyes, oh and the stains in his clothes.” 

Amir set down the sketch pad on the coffee table, forcing Ryou to sit up. He dropped the paper and pencil and dug his fingers into his spiky hair.

“Amir? What’s wrong?”

“You’re… so kind.”

“I wasn’t trying to be kind.” Ryou rested a hand on Amir’s shoulder. 

“No one’s ever complimented me so much, but you… you say thank you all the time, and tell me I can cook, and draw, and I- I can’t handle this.”

“Sh-should I stop?” Ryou bit his bottom lip, lowering his hand. “I don’t want to hurt you, even with compliments.” 

“No, no, I… like it, but it feels…” Amir’s fingers trembled in his own hair. “It feels like it’s going to be taken away, or that I don’t deserve it, or-” 

“I’m sorry.” Ryou hugged Amir’s arm, pressing his forehead against Amir’s warm skin. “I’m sorry Malik never told you anything good.”

“I wasn’t made for that.” Amir shook his head.

“Maybe not.” Ryou sighed, giving Amir’s bicep a squeeze. “But you’re here now. It’s a different story now.” 

Amir turned and wrapped his free arm around Ryou, careful with the back of Ryou’s head. They sat there a moment, locked together. Ryou didn’t mean to fall asleep, but the embrace, and the warmth, and the sincere way in which Amir held him sucked all the tension from Ryou’s thoughts, and he was out the moment he closed his eyes. 

***

Amir felt Ryou grow heavy in his arms. A little at first, then a rush of weight. His breathing slowed and deepened, and he was asleep in less than a minute. Amir smiled at Ryou’s steady breathing. Amir’s fingers through Ryou’s hair were as delicate as a mother crocodile carrying her brood in her mouth. After a moment of relishing the feeling of Ryou in his arms, Amir stood, lifted Ryou up with him, and carried Ryou to the bed they shared. 

“No,” Ryou muttered- unconscious, but gripping Amir’s shirt when Amir set Ryou down and tried to raise back up. 

“Shhhh, it’s okay,” Amir whispered. “I’m right here.”

Ryou sighed in his sleep. He relaxed, but his grip stayed clenched around Amir’s shirt. Amir’s heart fluttered in his chest. Something about the way Ryou gripped him, even in sleep, needing Amir to stay close, made him feel like the protective personality he _should_ have been instead of the monster he had become. He brushed Ryou’s bangs away from his forehead, uncurled Ryou’s fingers from his shirt, and set Ryou’s arm onto the mattress. He turned down the empty side of the bed, picked him up in order to set him on the other side, and then pulled the blanket up to Ryou’s chin. Then he crawled in himself, sleeping on his side so he could keep one arm curled around Ryou’s chest. Ryou reached up with both hands and held onto Amir’s forearm. 

A small, repressed whimper escaped from Amir’s throat. He curled closer to Ryou’s body. He couldn’t sleep at first; he was too excited to be laying beside Ryou. He watched Ryou’s sleeping face for a moment before his own lids grew heavy and he dipped into sleep. In the morning, he combed Ryou’s hair with his fingers and brushed his finger down Ryou’s cheekbones before slipping out of bed to take a shower and make breakfast. 

The bathroom tiles were cold, and Amir winced as his feet landed against them. He jumped onto the fuzzy bath mat Ryou kept near the tub and fumbled with the controls until steam filled the little bathroom. Amir shivered as he remembered the way Ryou’s nails graced down his skin. He stepped into the shower’s stream, tossing his head back and dragging his hands through his hair to wet down the wild mess. 

He was so used to pain he thought he _had_ to feel it. He was so used to pain he thought it was the only thing that could truly make him feel good. But more and more, he was realizing other touches felt good, from Ryou holding onto his arm as they slept, to Ryou’s nails scraping against his skin. He mimicked the action, scraping his nails down his own arms, and leaving white trails that faded back to copper a moment later. Amir exhaled. It was nice, but there was something about the way Ryou did it that made it special. He watched the water swirl down the tub’s drain, the back of his mind working out _why_. Why was it better when Ryou did it? Amir grabbed the shampoo and started massaging his scalp. This, too, was nicer than being cut with a knife. He told himself to remember that the next time his mind drifted. 

It was better when Ryou did it because Ryou had no intent of hurting him. 

Amir shoved his hair beneath the shower jet and sent bubbles chasing the streams of water whirlpooling at the drain. Ryou knew just the right amount of pressure to dig in to give the thrill of violence without hurting Amir. 

He realized he wanted to kiss Ryou. 

The other day when their lips had hovered near each other. In the kitchen when Ryou had scratched him and pulled him close. He wanted to press his tongue into Ryou’s mouth and taste him, but Ryou’s concussion- he was still too dizzy and Amir would only hurt him. He couldn’t. He couldn’t hurt Ryou, so he’d have to wait. Amir lathered his body, scrubbing and rinsing the soap away before the water could chill. He dried off and changed into his other set of clothes before going into the kitchen and starting rice porridge for their breakfast. 

He licked his lips as he waited for the rice to steam. He wanted to kiss Ryou. He wanted to kiss Ryou until Ryou dug his nails into Amir’s skin and made him forget the tombs ever existed. 


	6. Chapter 6

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Let's find out why Ryou's always covering his arms and legs :D
> 
> (Mild disclaimer: This chapter is pretty cute, but Ryou tells a bit of a grusome horror story. Although both my betas for this are not horror fans and neither complained about it, fair warning for a zombie goze murdering her deceitful samurai lover).

Ryou slept most of the first two weeks. Amir woke him when it was time to eat, and in the evenings so Ryou could sit on the sofa and watch Amir draw for a while. By the third week Ryou realized he desperately wanted a bath. He’d attempted to shower a few times, sitting as the water ran over his limbs, he’d only washed himself as much as needed, too dizzy to enjoy the water, and he hadn’t washed his hair the entire time. It felt lank and greasy and he couldn’t stand it any longer. 

Ryou pushed himself out of bed, much more steady on his feet than he’d been two weeks ago. A hint of the dizziness tugged at his mind, but Ryou waited until it passed before stepping into the bathroom and filling the tub. 

“Are you okay?” Amir asked when he saw Ryou up and about.

“I want a bath,” Ryou said.

“Do you need help? I could-”

“Amir, it’s okay. It’s just a bath.”

“You could fall, or-”

“Thank you.” Ryou rested his hand on Amir’s chest. He did so often because he loved the feel of Amir’s muscles beneath his fingers, and he loved how flustered the light touch made Amir. “I appreciate the concern. I promise if I get dizzy I’ll ask for help, but I really need to wash my hair. It’s gross.” 

“I can wash it for you.”

“Amir.” Ryou blushed, although he liked the idea. 

Amir’s fingers working across Ryou’s scalp would have been wonderful, but he didn’t want Amir to see his arms and legs. He was afraid seeing them might make Amir sad, so he kept wearing long sleeved shirts and thigh-high socks. 

“I wasn’t being sly.” Amir fidgeted. “Although I do like you.”

“I like you too.” Ryou smiled at Kek’s words. His chest felt small, and his heart felt too big. 

“I mean, I _really_ like you.” Kek fidgeted with the sleeve of Ryou’s shirt. “I...I mean-”

“I know what you mean, and I like you too. I’m glad you feel the same way.” Ryou giggled, pressing harder against Kek. “And I don’t mind you being a little sly- if you wanted to be.” Ryou dragged his fingers down Amir’s chest. He pulled his hand away but not before noticing the way Amir shivered beneath his touch. “But I haven’t been able to enjoy a bath in weeks, so maybe some other time.”

Amir gave him a disappointed puppy look. “You’ll ask for help, right? If you need it.” 

“Promise.” Ryou kissed the back Amir’s hand before shooing him away and shutting the bathroom door. 

Ryou disrobed, dropping his clothes to the floor. He had a ginger and grapefruit bubble bath and he poured a double serving into the tub so that the entire bathroom smelled of citrus and spice. Ryou closed his eyes, sucking in a breath. He slipped one foot into the tub and then the other, wincing at the hot water but enduring the burn until he was sitting with bubbles half up his chest. Ryou leaned back. The cold porcelain at the edge of the tub shocked his back, but Ryou’s body warmed the enamel after a moment and he was able to relax. 

“Fuck yes…” Ryou whispered to himself, unbashful of the profanity since he was alone. Another bad habit that lingered in his mind from the Spirit of the Ring- profanity, so much profanity in his thoughts that he tried to drown out by saying pleases and thank yous instead. 

The thought of Amir washing his hair didn’t want to leave him. Already flushed from the hot water, dizziness swept through Ryou’s thoughts as he imagined how slick and soft Amir’s wet skin would feel against Ryou’s if they shared the tub. It wasn’t big enough, but he would have liked to try it all the same for a chance to have Amir’s deliberate touch massaging across Ryou’s scalp. Ryou sighed again and opened his eyes to ground himself. He didn’t want to get too dizzy because he didn’t want to call Amir into the bathroom. Ryou lifted his left arm out from the mound of fizzing bubbles and stared at the sakura blossoms climbing up his forearm, bicep, and to his shoulder. He’d gotten the tattoos in Europe during a rare trip to visit his father. Of course, his father had spent the entire visit working, but he’d given Ryou a generous entertainment budget and Ryou had spent the summer at the tattoo parlor getting session after session of line work, coloring, and shading done. 

The tattoo artist turned the five scars from the Ring into lit candles forming the bottom half of a protection circle with a pentagram in the center. Ryou loved the concept, turning the old marks of Shadow Magic into a protective seal- right over his heart where he needed it. The scar on his arm was now a paper lantern, the white tissue the glow of flame through delicate rice paper. It was clunky, not perfect, but it was still much more beautiful than the bland white skin had been on its own- twisted with scar tissue like a stain ruining a white table cloth. He had a dragon around his waist, and the rest of his limbs were covered in sakura branches and blossoms. Maybe some of his choices were a little cliché as far as tattoos went, but Ryou felt like he’d _lived_ through the symbolism, and wanted it permanently pricked into his skin with so many pink-tipped tattoo needles. 

And afterward, for the first time since he started collecting scars, Ryou had felt good about his body again. Like it _was_ his body again. He’d covered up most of the Spirit’s damage with art. _Art that he wanted_ , and it wasn’t perfect- because of the scars- but it was _his, his, his_. The tattoos had given Ryou his identity back. 

But how would Amir feel? Amir who was marked without permission, who bore the Pharaoh's memories and existed because of them but only for the most awful of reasons, who killed the man that had cut him because of anger and hatred- would Amir flinch if he saw the way Ryou intentionally decorated his skin? Would he associate the anger and hatred he felt because of his scars with Ryou’s flesh? Ryou sighed yet again, but this time it was sad and heavy. He wanted Amir to see his body, to _touch his body_ , but he was afraid the very thing which made Ryou love his skin- would make Amir hate it. 

Ryou held his breath and slipped beneath the water. He stayed submerged, keeping calm so he could hold his breath longer and pretend he was a lost corpse in a forgotten bog in an enchanted woods. It was not a wish, to be a floating corpse, it was simply something he’d always done ever since he was little. Pretending, especially morbid scenarios, excited him, and he loved the calm, floating feeling of himself beneath the water, loved how he could revive himself like a miracle simply by sitting back up and taking a breath. And he did sit up, did suck in a beautiful, full breath. Water dripped down his wet hair and he pushed it away from his face. 

Grabbing the shampoo, Ryou lathered up his hair and scrubbed as hard as he could. The area he hit was a little sore, but nowhere near as bad as it had been a few weeks ago. Ryou even thought he could get some work done in a few more days. He hummed as he washed his hair and then rinsed it in the tub, holding his breath again, dying under the water… being reborn when he came up for breath. Finished, Ryou drained the tub, and used the shower jet to rinse off any stray bubbles before drying himself. He changed in the bathroom, another long-sleeved shirt, fresh boxers, and thigh high socks with cartoon zombies on them. Tattoos concealed again, Ryou stepped out into the hallway and then found Amir in the living room drawing. 

“May I see?” Ryou always asked. He never wanted to assume that Amir was willing to share his art.

Amir smiled and patted the sofa next to him. Ryou nestled beside him, nuzzling against Amir’s shoulder for a moment before glancing at the sketch pad. 

“Oh,” Ryou gasped, mouth dropping.

“Is it okay?”

“It’s amazing.”

“But is it okay that I drew you?” 

“I could model for you some time.” Ryou’s cheeks grew hot as he made the offer. 

“Nude?” He chuckled. 

“Maybe one day.” Ryou looked away, thinking of his tattoos. “Let’s try it clothes-on the first few times.”

“I wanted to draw you because…” Amir toyed with his pencil, “because you’re beautiful.”

“Thank you.” Ryou grinned. 

Ryou hesitated a moment. His heart raced, which usually made his head hurt, but it was only a faint ache now, so Ryou risked it and his hand fumbled across the space between them on the couch- which was only a few centimeters- until he found Amir’s free hand. Ryou laid his fingers into the cup of Amir’s palm and was delighted when Amir took the hint and curled his fingers around Ryou’s, holding his hand. 

They didn’t look at each other, or say anything, simply sat like awkward nerds on the couch together, but Ryou savored it. He savored every second. He savored the warmth, the weight of Amir’s fingers wrapped around his hand, the texture of their skin resting together. Ryou’s smile widened. 

“There was a samurai on his way to Edo, and he was staying at an inn when he heard the most beautiful singing. The voice brought tears to his eyes. Wiping his cheeks, he asked a servant who was singing and learned that a _goze_ was performing at the inn.” 

“What’s a _goze_?” Amir asked.

“A blind woman who travels and plays the _shamisen_ \- a sort of instrument.” 

Amir nodded, so Ryou continued, “The samurai assumed a woman with such a stunning voice must be gorgeous, so he found out which room was hers and hid in the dark. Her voice was so beautiful that the other guests kept her performing until late in the night, so it wasn’t until after midnight when she slipped into her room and went straight to her sleeping mat, too exhausted to bother lighting a lantern first. As soon as she was in bed, the samurai seized her and strung passionate kisses up and down her throat. The _goze_ lay motionless in his arms, moaning in her sweet, lovely voice to encourage him to keep going. He slipped between her legs- already hard from anticipation- and made love to her for an hour before crashing into a deep sleep. But when she revived him in the middle of the night by sucking on his cock until he was hard again, he grabbed her hips and pulled her on top of his cock- Amir? Are you okay?”

“Huh?” Amir squeaked, his eyes glassy and his jaw slack. 

“I-Is this part bothering you? I could skip it-”

“No, no, I don’t mind, I- uh-” Amir fanned himself. “It’s just hot in here. I should open the window.” Amir stood up, glanced at the window, and then sat back down. “I forgot. I broke the window.”

Ryou laughed, looking back at the window and surprised to see that it was covered. “You boarded it up?”

“Yeah, a few weeks ago. I swept up the glass, too.” 

“Thank you.” Ryou wrapped his arms around Amir and squeezed him. “I’ve been so out of it. I forgot the window was broken and haven’t noticed it boarded up until now.”

“I'm just glad you’re feeling better.” Amir dropped his pencil so he could reach up and brush his knuckles up Ryou’s cheek. Ryou lidded his eyes, leaning in a little closer, wondering if Amir would take the opportunity if Ryou presented it. Amir slipped his fingers to Ryou’s lips, tracing below them, but instead of kissing Ryou, he asked, “What happens next? In the story?”

“Well, um…” Ryou was also hot all over. He pulled a throw pillow over his lap to hide the mound growing in his boxers. “He pulled her on top of him and she rode him until they both came again. By the time they were finished he was utterly enraptured by her. He pulled her to his chest afterward and whispered how he loved her and how he was going to take her to Edo and marry her.” 

“This is a good story. I didn’t realize you were into romance.” Amir ran his finger between the pillow in Ryou’s lap and the hem of his sock surrounding Ryou’s thigh. Ryou shuddered, wishing he hadn’t given so much detail to the sex scene because he had to hold his breath to keep from moaning at Amir’s touch. 

“Don’t write me off as a romantic yet.” Ryou laughed, breathless and flirty. He lowered his voice a little more, making it as sultry and seductive as he could. “This is a story about murder and vengeance.” 

Amir’s head shot up. His eyes, too dark to be lavender but too pale for violet, flashed with the ceiling light and his mouth twisted in an excited grin. “Go on then.” 

Amir’s fingers slipped a little past the throw cushion. He swirled the pillow’s tassel against Ryou’s skin, teasing him. Ryou sucked in a breath and held it, _refusing_ to moan. Amir hadn’t kissed him, so he wasn’t going to call out at his touch. Ryou did lick his lips, however, and stare into Amir’s eyes, finishing the story as Amir tormented him. 

“The next morning, the samurai woke up to the _goze’s_ beautiful singing. He opened his eyes, excited to see his lover’s face, but his smile turned into a look of horror when he saw her.”

“Was she dead?” Amir asked, almost growled in anticipation. His fingertips touched Ryou’s thighs, above the sock line where his skin was exposed. He circled the pads of his fingers around Ryou’s skin. 

“Worse. Ugly.” Ryou smirked. 

Amir cackled at Ryou’s answer. “Ryou Bakura, you’re friends would be so ashamed of you!” 

Ryou scooted closer, bumping his sock-clad knee against Amir’s leg. He clasped his hand around Amir’s and pulled them on top of the throw pillow, using his free hand to brush lightly against Amir’s knuckles. Both of them wore matching, secretive grins. 

“That’s precisely why,” Ryou whispered, “I wouldn’t tell them this story. Only you get to hear it.” 

“So this story is ours?” Amir bumped their noses together then pulled back. Ryou thought about kissing him instead, but Amir had moved too far away to kiss unless Ryou wanted to crawl into Amir’s lap- which Ryou considered, but feared it might make him dizzy so he resisted. His heartbeat danced inside him and made him lightheaded enough as it was. 

So Ryou only nodded. “Yes. This story is for us alone. You’re the only one with whom I can share all my favorite ghost stories. The others don’t appreciate them.” 

“Good. I want to keep them for myself.” Amir leaned in again, only to change his mind halfway through and bite his bottom lip instead. “Did he scream when he saw her?”

“No. He didn’t scream. As a noble samurai, he was good at hiding his emotions, and the woman looked so happy to have found someone who loved her that he didn’t want to abandon her and have her ruin his reputation, so they packed their bags and continued towards Edo. The samurai knew the way well, and he suggested a shortcut through the mountains and into the woods. The _goze_ agreed. She wanted to get to Edo as quickly as possible so they could be married, but when they were high up, he shoved her off a cliff and into a ravine- killing her. He figured no one would miss one blind woman, and he was doing her a favor by killing her instead of breaking her heart, so he went on with his life and didn’t give the poor blind singer a second thought.” 

“What an asshole.” Amir scowled. “Killing people for fun or vengeance is one thing, but he did it out of cowardice.” 

“Hmmm.” Ryou nodded. “But that’s okay, because the next year as he traveled to Edo again, he took that same shortcut through the mountains, and spent the night at a shrine in the same woods.” Ryou decided to have some fun and embellish the story a bit, so he added, “He woke up with a warm, wet mouth on his cock. He arched and cried out, so close to coming that he was desperate, and then he felt a woman climb on top of him. She spoke his name, almost sang it, and it was the most beautiful voice he ever heard- and the same voice he had heard in the dark almost a year ago. The samurai opened his eyes and in the moonlight saw the ugly face of the _goze_ grinning back at him, and this time, yes, she was dead. A worm fell out from the hole in her cheek where a rock had gashed her flesh open during her fall. The samurai opened his mouth to scream, but she wrapped her hands around his throat.” Ryou reached out, mocking a stranglehold on Amir’s throat. His eyes grew wide as he sucked in rapid, shallow breaths. “She throttled him until he was too weak to fight back, and then dragged him out of the shrine and to the graveyard behind it.” Ryou grabbed Amir by the shirt and pulled him closer. “He struggled, but couldn’t move. He cried for help, but his vocal cords were bruised. He dug his fingers into the earth, but the vengeful ghost of the _goze_ was too strong and his nails broke against stones, but he didn’t slow her down. She brought him to a certain grave and dragged him beneath in the ground.” 

Ryou pulled Amir on top of him until they were both lying against each other. The sketch pad and pencil tumbled to the carpet, but Ryou didn’t care. He wanted a kiss dammit and hoped Amir would give in with their bodies so close together.

“That’s my girl!” Amir shouted, excited. “Fuck that samurai! I’m glad she captured him. I hope he fucking drowned in that dirt!”

“He did.” Ryou couldn’t help elaborating, though he was internally sulking that Amir wasn’t picking up on Ryou’s hints. “In the morning the monks searched for the samurai. Seeing the claw marks and loose dirt, they dug up the unmarked grave and found the samurai's corpse intertwined with the body of a dead woman they had found in a ravine the year prior.” 

“Guess she had her heart set on that husband.” Amir grinned. “But, personally, I would have dumped him in a latrine and found another vengeful ghost to date.” 

“Sorry, I don’t have the Ring anymore, and he was the only vengeful ghost I knew.” 

“I wouldn’t let that asshole thief kiss my ass, let alone suck my cock!” Amir snorted. 

His eyes grew lost as he stared at Ryou, and something about the expression made Ryou wonder what Amir’s cock would taste like if it were in his mouth. Ryou licked his lips and reached up. He held onto Amir’s waist with his left hand and brushed the fingers of his right hand up Amir’s arm.

“Did you like the story?”

“Of course.”

“Would you like another one?” Ryou asked, wondering if he could remember something still horrifying, but with more naughty scenes he could elaborate on. 

“Y-you should go to bed.” Amir squirmed out of Ryou’s arms so he could retrieve his sketchpad and pencil. “If you push yourself too hard, you’ll take longer to recover.”

Ryou hummed, staring at the ceiling. Was that the reason Amir wouldn’t kiss him? He was afraid of hurting Ryou’s head? Ryou was sure he was okay at this point, but then again… his nausea seemed to be creeping up from his heart pounding so fast for so long.

“Then carry me to bed.” Ryou smirked at the thought of Amir taking Ryou to his bedroom to undress him. 

At Ryou’s command, Amir scooped him up in his arms and walked down the hall. Ryou yelped and held onto Amir’s shoulders. 

“I was joking!” 

“Too bad. You said it, now I get to do it.” 

Ryou laughed all the way to the bed. Amir laid Ryou down, and a little gasp escaped Ryou’s mouth as he imagined Amir crawling on top of him- naked, copper abs rolling as he circled his hips. 

“Amir,” Ryou half-moaned. 

“Thanks for the story.” Amir combed Ryou’s mostly-dried hair with his fingers. “Goodnight-”

“Thanks again for fixing the window,” Ryou said the first thing he could think of to give Amir an excuse to stay in the room with Ryou. “ I’m sorry I didn’t notice sooner-”

“Stop. It doesn't matter. It’s my fault it was broke.” Amir looked away. “It’s my fault you hit your head. You were running from me.” 

“It was still fun, the running part.” Ryou laughed, resting a hand on Amir’s arm. “I don’t want you to feel bad for that night. You wouldn’t hurt me now. You’re not hurting anyone and it’s been almost three weeks.” 

“Stories of murder are better.” Amir lay down, staring at Ryou, eyes as bright and excited as before. “When you tell them, they’re better. I can _feel_ it, only… only-” 

“No mess to clean up,” Ryou teased. 

“Ha, the mess never bothered me.” His fingers strayed to Ryou’s collarbone peeking up from the top of Ryou’s shirt. “But touching you while listening to ghost stories it like scratching an itch, or… or sucking in a breath after holding it too long.” 

“Wait until we play Monster World. The stories are much more elaborate. I’m going to paint some figurines tomorrow.”

“Should you? The doctor said-”

“The doctor doesn’t pay my rent, but the figurines do. I sell them, or restore old ones that people collect. I make dioramas too, did you know? You should have saw the one I did of Egypt. I’m really proud of that one. It’s in the museum even now.” 

“Could… we go? When you feel better.”

“Yes.” Ryou grabbed Amir’s hand. “It’s a date.” 


	7. Chapter 7

“I never imagined so many colors.” Amir picked up several jars of paint and examined them. 

“I mix a lot of my own, but sometimes I just need a specific one from the store because nothing else is quite as good.” 

“Which figure are you painting today?” 

“This dragon. It’s for Kaiba, so I can’t miss the deadline- you know how Kaiba can be.”

Amir snorted, setting down the purple paint in his hand and picking up a bright, crayon green. 

“The creepy figures I make are my absolute favorite, but I love the dragons Kaiba orders. They’re some of my favorite work.” Ryou held up a clear vial of vibrant, _vibrant_ , blue paint. “I created this tint just for his dragons. A bottle this size costs more than my rent to make, but he doesn’t care how much I charge to use it. There’s nothing else like it.” 

“Looks like the color the gods would have made the sky, had they put more thought into it.”

Ryou blushed at the compliment to his paint, and the sight of Ryou’s pink cheeks made Amir’s chest swell with joy. The strange urge to paint Ryou consumed Amir. He wanted to take one of the delicate detail brushes and swirl colors across the perfect white canvas of his skin. 

“Are you okay?” Ryou asked.

Amir nodded, imagination lost in fantasies of turning Ryou into a work of art. What would he paint on Ryou? Perhaps the angry ghost of a _goze_ stumbling through her own cemetery. The rot of her body would contrast perfectly with the beautiful silk of her earth-stained kimono. 

“Are you thinking about cutting again? You have that look.” 

“Do I?” Amir blinked back to the moment. “I was daydreaming about painting.” 

“A much better choice. I have canvas.” Ryou beamed at the answer, pointing to a closet in the corner of the room. “And oil paints.”

“I don’t really know how to paint.” Amir scratched the back of his head. 

“Did you know how to draw?” 

“Heh, not really.” Amir twisted his mouth into a knot before it split into a grin. “Okay. I’ll try. Then we can paint things together.” 

He knew what he wanted to paint. The picture he imagined painting onto Ryou’s back. He found everything he needed, sketched the outline with a pencil, and then worked on the background. He worked until Ryou finished putting the last touches on the Blue Eyes Ultimate Dragon figure he was working on. 

“Finished.” Ryou set down his brush. 

“Need a hand?” Amir helped Ryou to his feet. 

“Thank you.”

“There’s paint on your cheek.” Amir used his thumb to wipe a speck of the searing blue pigment from Ryou’s skin. 

“That’s nothing. Look.” Ryou laughed, showing off palms coated in pearlescent whites, and pale, pale blues. “I should go wash this off.” 

“I’ll make lunch.” Amir leaned in, on instinct, but stopped himself. 

He knew Ryou wanted him to, but he couldn't. Not yet. Not until Ryou’s follow-up appointment next week. One more week. He could wait it out. He had to make sure his love wouldn’t hurt Ryou. He brushed their noses together, reaching up and caressing Ryou’s cheek. 

“Please,” Ryou begged. 

“Did you know you match your socks?” Amir asked to diffuse the moment. 

Ryou looked at his thigh-high socks. They were white with paint splatters all over them. “You’re right. I wore them because if I spilt any, it wouldn’t matter.”

“Clever.” Amir used the break in tension to go to the kitchen, wash the paint off of his hands, and cook omelets for their lunch. 

The week dragged by slowly. Amir worked on his painting while Ryou painted figurines. Ryou told stories about _bakeneko_ and _kitsune_ while Amir told Ryou stories from Malik’s childhood about _ghūls._ The stories were the hardest moments not to kiss Ryou. They always sat too close, and ran their fingers along every centimeter of exposed skin. Amir always made sure to wear boxers and his tank top so Ryou had more to touch, but Ryou’s touches made Amir all the more desperate to kiss him. Yet, he resisted, because he would do anything to keep Ryou from hurting- including hold back his own urges until he knew for sure Ryou had fully recovered from his concussion. 

“Tomorrow.” Ryou bit his bottom lip. “I can’t wait to get all my stupid cords back. We’re going to play games, and watch movies- oh, I know! The first game we should play is tag with the fans. You can kill me first.” 

Amir laughed always amazed at the way Ryou played with dark concepts, and how all the little shadows surrounding his personality made him shine even brighter. 

“You have to let me arrange the furniture,” Amir said. “You should strain yourself.” 

“I feel good now.” Ryou rested his hand on Amir’s chest, and Amir wondered if Ryou felt how hard he made Amir’s heart work. “You’re an amazing nurse.” 

“Like the ones you showed me on your laptop?” Amir smirked. 

“The Silent Hill nurses? Yes. You’re as sexy as them.” 

“Y-You think so?” Amir’s face caught fire. 

“You’re just missing the dress.” Ryou winked. “Actually, that reminds me. I’m going to give you my debit card tomorrow and a list of art supplies, but I want you to buy a few outfits, too.”

“Ryou, I can’t-”

“You don’t have to go crazy.” Ryou stepped closer, resting his head against Amir’s chest along with his hand. “You need more than one pair of pants. Besides, we’re going to the museum in a few weeks, remember? And you promised to ride the scary roller coaster at Kaiba’s amusement park with me. You need clothes if we’re going to go out and have fun.” 

“I guess shopping is better than hiding in your closet while Yugi’s here.” Amir cupped his hands along the small of Ryou’s back.

He couldn’t resist any longer. He slipped his fingers beneath Ryou’s shirt and slid them up the smooth skin, mapping out the little ridges of Ryou’s spine with his fingertips. 

“Amir,” Ryou whined in that way he often did when they exchanged ghost stories and their touching grew especially intimate or heated. That sound coming from Ryou always made Amir’s stomach hitch and his cock swell. 

He slid his hands to Ryou’s waist, resting his palms against the curve of Ryou’s hips. “I’m going to bake you a cake.”

“Why?” Ryou smiled. 

Because he was still angry that the others had a party without Ryou. Because Ryou _deserved_ nice things in the same way he’d helped Amir understand that _he himself also deserved_ nice things. 

“We should celebrate, right? A your-concussion-is-gone party. I’ll make a cake, and set up the apartment like a maze and after we eat, we can chase each other in the dark- you’d better not hit your head, though.” 

“I won’t. I promise. Amir.” He grabbed Amir’s right hand and brought Amir’s palm to his lips, kissing down to his wrist and back to his palm. “I’m so happy right now. It’ll be better than a regular party because the games will be more fun!” 

Amir couldn’t take it, seeing Ryou so happy. He had to kiss him. _He had too_ , but he also had to wait until the doctor said Ryou was truly well again. He grabbed Ryou’s cheeks, adoring the way Ryou’s eyes rounded and his lips parted. He only pressed his lips to Ryou’s cheek, then the bridge of his nose, but gods it was wondrous. His mouth watered, and his saliva tasted sweet against his tongue in anticipation for more, but Amir went to the kitchen to make tea instead. 

“Amir!” Ryou whined as he dashed away. 

“Torturing you just makes it sweeter!” Amir called over his shoulder. 

“Damn you!” 

Ryou followed him into the kitchen. He pulled himself up onto the counter and watched Amir prepare their tea. Amir wanted to pick him up and set him back down so Ryou didn’t fall and hurt himself, but he bit the inside of his cheek and resisted the urge. He was getting good at that- not acting on every impulse that crossed his mind. 

“Let’s tell stories later.”

“I’m almost done with my painting.” Amir handed Ryou a cup and then sat beside him on the counter before sipping from his own. 

“I haven’t looked at it yet. I wanted to see it finished.” 

“It’ll be done tonight.” 

“Oh. You didn’t want to tell me a story?” Ryou pouted. 

Amir reached out and caressed Ryou’s cheek. His thumb dragged against Ryou’s bottom lip, and Ryou lifted his face up into the light touch. Amir leaned in, kissing Ryou’s cheek and trailing up his cheekbone until he reached Ryou’s temple. There was no longer a welt where he’d hit his head, and Ryou seemed fine, but it wasn’t a gamble Amir would make. 

“I know what you want, Ryou, but we have to wait until tomorrow. For the first time in my life,” Amir whispered against Ryou’s temple, kissing it again before continuing, “I don’t want to be the reason someone hurts.” 

“I’m fine. I promise I’m fine.” 

“I don’t want to risk it.” Amir brushed their noses together. Close… close… their lips so close. 

“The only thing that hurts is waiting,” Ryou insisted. 

“I’m afraid if I start, I won’t be able to stop.” 

“Good.” Ryou dumped his cup into the sink. The glass clinked against the stainless steel as the tea sloshed down the drain. Ryou’s fingers clawed at Amir’s shirt, bringing their chests closer. “Who said I wanted you to stop after a kiss?” 

Ryou gave Amir’s bottom lip a soft nip and then a lick. Amir’s teacup shattered against the kitchen floor, and he wound his arms around Ryou, pulling Ryou into his lap and holding him so he didn’t fall like the teacup. Their lips clashed, smashing together, separating, and crashing back into place. Ryou was first to press his tongue into Amir’s mouth, and Amir whined against Ryou’s lips. His body trembled, desire burning him from the center out. They broke, gasping, breathing each other’s air. 

“How do you feel?” Amir asked. 

“Good. I told you, I’m not hurt anymore.” 

Amir sighed in relief. He knew Ryou was telling the truth. His eyes were wide and blown out, staring right at Amir as he licked his friction-darkened lips. Amir leaned in again, tasting Ryou’s lips, tasting his tongue. They kissed until breathless. The second time they broke apart, Amir set Ryou back onto his own side of the counter. 

“I’m sorry.”

“Why?” Ryou looked confused. “I told you, I feel great.” 

“The cup.” Amir slid off the counter, careful to place his feet where he’d neither slip nor cut himself, and used a dish towel to mop up the tea. 

“That was my fault.” Ryou slid down and knelt beside Amir. He picked up a fat shard of green glass and stared at it. “Broken glass always looks so pretty.” 

“Who cares if it’s pretty. It’s useless now.” Amir gathered several other fragments. 

“You think so? I want to show you something. Come on, bring these fragments to my craft room.”

Amir cocked his head to the side, but followed without question. Ryou set the shards at one of his work benches. He took a small basin to the bathroom and came back with it filled with hot, soapy water. Amir helped wash and dry the shards and set them aside. Ryou labeled each with a scrap of tape and a number. 

“Okay. Feel.” Ryou took the triangle shaped shard he’d held in the kitchen and grazed it against Amir’s palm. Amir shivered as a jolt shot up his nerves. “Pretty sharp, yeah?” 

Amir nodded. He didn’t trust himself to speak, and held his breath to stop himself from leaping over to Ryou and kissing him again. He’d knock everything off of the table and slam Ryou against it and bite his neck until Ryou shrieked and raked his nails down Amir’s arms. 

“Here.” Ryou handed Amir a different shard. “Take this, and then a chisel like this, and watch me. I’m going to go along the outlines and scrape them.”

“Why?”

“We need to widen the cracks and create a rougher surface. The lacquer will bond better that way, and it’ll look better when we’re finished.” 

Amir stared at the broken piece of glass and then looked back up to Ryou. “We’re going to fix it?”

“Oh, we’re going to do something better than simply fix it.” Ryou’s face lit up with a smile that made Amir’s heart flutter more than usual. 

There was a secret in his smile, and Amir wanted to learn it, so he began working on his own piece. When they finished with their first shards, Ryou held Amir’s hand and grazed the triangle shard over his palm again.

“Notice the difference?”

“It’s more rough.”

“Rough, but not as dangerous. We sanded away the sharpest edges. Let’s do the other pieces.” They repeated roughing the edges of each fragment. Ryou clapped his hands as they finished. “Now I’ll show you how to mix the urushi lacquer.” 

Ryou took a small dish and stirred a mixture using one drop of water at a time. Amir leaned close, rapt with the care Ryou took to make the dark black paste. When finished, he demonstrated how to take a small brush and line the mixture onto the seams and then hold the fragments together. They both ended up with half a teacup by the end of it. 

“What now?” Amir asked.

“It has to dry overnight. Then we add another layer on the thin parts and let that dry a second night. It’ll take awhile before it’s all done, but that’s part of the charm- the time it takes to mend something.” 

Amir pouted; he hated to wait. 

“There’s still your painting, so you shouldn’t be bored while you wait.” Ryou pinched his arm. 

“You knew what I was thinking.” Amir teased his fingers over Ryou’s lips, coaxing another smile from him. 

“It’s what everyone thinks their first time. No one likes to wait.” 

“Where did you learn how to fix things?” Amir gathered his last few pigments and set up to finish the last layer of his painting.

“My father was always away for work, so I took every crafting class I could find, including kintsugi.” Ryou gathered his own paints, working on the shield of a warrior. “Did you know the first piece ever fixed this way was also a tea cup? The shogun broke his favorite cup, and when he sent it off to be fixed he hated how it turned out so he had his own craftsmen think of a better way to fix things.” 

“But the way we did it will still show the cracks.” Amir looked around his canvas at Ryou. 

“Yes.” He nodded, grinning. “Kintsugi is about taking something broken and celebrating what it’s been through. You don’t try to hide the cracks, you display them, and not only does it make the piece unique and beautiful… but stronger.” Ryou flexed his left hand, touching the knot of white rising from his palm. “Sort of like scars on people.” 

“Ryou?” Amir set down his brush. His stomach twisted as he asked the next question. “Is that why you’re teaching me how to do this? Because it makes you think of me?” 

“Yes.” Ryou looked at Amir. “Of you… of us. After the Ring, I wanted to turn my scars into art somehow, like kintsugi. Then I met you, and I’ve watched you come together step by step, sanding away the sharpest edges with new emotions, filling in the gaps with new experiences, and adding a final golden touch at the end with drawing, with painting, and you’re so unique and beautiful because of it- and much stronger than you were before.”

Amir’s face burned.

“Are you okay?” Ryou asked. 

“I’m done with the painting.” Amir stepped back from the canvas. To say anything else would be to invite tears, and he didn’t want to weep, so he tucked Ryou’s words away, holding them in his memory to have forever, but refusing to react to them. “Come look.”

“It’s stunning!” Ryou reached out, as if to caress the sash tied around the _goze’s_ waist. He didn’t touch, however, aware that the top layer of paint was wet. “I thought it would be good, but not _this_ good.”

“It’s how I imagined her when you told me the story.” 

“Amir,” Ryou exhaled the name and there was sorrow in his tone.

“Ryou?” Amir turned Ryou around, coiling his arms around Ryou’s shoulders. He noticed a tear trickled down Ryou’s cheek and he scraped it aside with the handle of his paintbrush. “What’s wrong?” 

“I’m afraid.” 

“Of… me?” He knew it wasn’t the painting, despite the dead woman stumbling through her own cemetery. 

“I think I’m falling in love with you.” 

Everything lit up in Amir’s chest, like Ra was racing his sun chariot through the chambers of Amir’s heart. He leaned in to kiss Ryou, but Ryou held his face- gently, but with the intent of keeping their lips from touching. 

“Ryou? I don’t understand.” 

“If I love you, then I can’t lie to you.” Ryou stepped back, holding the hem of his shirt with both hands. “But I’m so afraid once I show you… you’ll be angry. Or worse- sad.” 

“Ryou… you’re scaring me.” Amir trembled inside. He’d never been afraid himself. He was created so his system didn’t _have to be afraid_. He felt a sudden need to hide in the back of Malik’s mind, to be nothing but a fragment again and not an entire vessel on his own. 

“It- it’ll be easier to show.” Ryou’s bottom lip quivered. His face crumpled in a miserable expression. “Turn around? I’d rather you see all at once.”

Amir turned, staring at the half-mended tea cup on Ryou’s workbench. He heard faint shuffling behind him and sucked air into his lungs, but it was empty and hollow- some other substance, not oxygen. 

“Done.” Ryou paused. “You can look.” 

Amir spun, horrified at what he’d see. He didn’t expect the sight of soft, pink petals, of paper lanterns strung together with crimson ribbon, of candles burning around a star, of the jade scales from a dragon circling Ryou’s waist, and of more branches and blossoms growing up his legs. Amir’s mouth dropped open. It was like some of his fantasies of painting Ryou had crawled out of his mind and onto Ryou’s canvas-white skin. Amir swayed as he walked up to Ryou. His fingers traced along the lanterns first. He noticed how the scar on Ryou’s arm was made to look like the glow of a light behind rice paper. It was the same for the candle flame at the bottom of his chest. Each flame hid a patch of scar tissue. 

Amir stood on his toes, looking down at Ryou’s back, but it was bare except for the dragon scales snug against his hips and tailbone. Ryou sobbed, covering his face with his hands. 

“Shhh. Don’t cry. I'm not mad.” Amir lifted Ryou’s face up so he could dry Ryou’s cheeks. “Did you do it to change your scars?”

Ryou nodded. 

“Why would I hate that?” Amir took Ryou’s wrist and ghosted his lips up the twisting branches, stopping to kiss each blossom. 

“I know you didn’t have a choice when you were marked. I thought it might remind you of your back… of killing Malik’s father.” 

“But yours are made of color.” Amir worked his way up Ryou’s bicep, then dragged his lips along the curve of Ryou’s shoulder. “And you did it on purpose. I wish I got to choose the picture I wear.” Amir laughed. “Is this why you’ve been wearing tall socks?”

“I’m sorry.” Ryou graced his fingers up and down Amir’s arms even as Amir switched to kissing Ryou’s other shoulder. “I shouldn’t have hid them.” 

“Why is your back not covered? Because you don’t have scars there?”

“I ran out of time. I didn’t even have a chance to finish my legs, but I don’t have any scars on them either. One day, I’d like to get more tattoos to cover the rest of my skin.” 

“And your hand?” Amir kissed around the perimeter of the scar on Ryou’s hand. 

“I can’t. Not in Japan. I was in Europe when I has this done.” Ryou shook his head no. “You’re the only person besides the tattoo artist that has ever seen these.” 

“Not even your friends?” Amir asked, surprised. 

“Gods no.” Ryou laughed. “ _Them?_ See tattoos on my skin? They’d think the Spirit of the Ring was possessing me again and in a gang.” 

Amir rolled his eyes but kept his thoughts of how stupid Yugi’s group was to himself. Instead, he lowered himself onto his knees and pulled Ryou down into his lap. Ryou’s cheeks flared brilliant pink as Amir nestled their bodies together. He leaned forward and kissed each candle flame on Ryou’s chest. Ryou arched his spine and pressed himself closer to Amir’s mouth. Amir took Ryou’s palm and kissed it again, and then the lantern on his arm and it’s white-scar flame. Then he kissed Ryou’s chest again, down, around, back up, then the other side down, around, and back up. 

“Could I please kiss yours?” Ryou asked, polite as ever despite his bare legs straddling over Amir’s lap and his cock hardening with each kiss. 

Amir nodded and pulled off his shirt. He laid down on his belly in the craft room. Ryou sat on Amir’s ass in order to lean down and drag his lips against the wings spreading out on Amir’s shoulders.

“Your hair tickles.” Amir giggled 

“Sorry,” Ryou whispered, backing away for a moment. 

Amir glanced over his shoulder and saw Ryou sweeping his long hair behind him and tying it into a knot before leaning down again. Amir sighed when Ryou’s warm lips returned to his skin. He felt Ryou’s fingers brushing against his lower back, kneading circles into his muscles. 

“Holy shit,” Amir swore, fingernails digging into the carpet. 

“You’ve taken such good care of me over this last month, please allow me to repay your kindness.” 

Amir opened his mouth to tell Ryou he didn’t need to, but Ryou’s hands were kneading into his muscles and all Amir could do was moan. He never realized how much tension he carried until Ryou started working it out of his body. Amir moaned again, mouth slack and cheek pressed against the carpet. His eyelashes fluttered as he closed his eyes and succumbed to the gentleness of Ryou’s touch. He didn’t realize he’d fallen asleep until Ryou shook his shoulder and kissed the back of his neck. 

“Amir. Amir, I can’t carry you. Come to bed.” 

“Bed?”

“Yeah, let’s go to bed.”

“Okay.” Amir pushed himself up, yawned, and allowed Ryou to lead him, half blind, to the bedroom. He smiled as Ryou settled next to him. “You’re still naked.”

“Um… well, you’ve seen my tattoos now, so I don’t have to hide behind socks and sleeves anymore.” 

“And now I can do this.” Amir pulled Ryou to his bare chest. 

“Mmmm, you’re so warm.” Ryou wrapped his arms around Amir and held him until they both fell asleep. 


	8. Chapter 8

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> 🎵 Sexy murder games, sexy murder games 🎵
> 
> I'm just going to apologize in advance for the ending of this chapter. Yugi and the gang have gone too far and should never be forgiven for this...

By the end of the day, Ryou only had two things on his mind. One, dinner. Two, his game with Amir. They drove to the doctor’s office. Yugi caught Ryou up on the last month’s worth of antics while Ryou nodded and watched the overcast sky thicken to a darker gray. The doctor said Ryou was fine and could ease into more physical activities as long as he took breaks and stopped if the dizziness returned.

What Ryou took away from the conversation was that it was time to run around his house in the dark trying to kill Amir, and then play video games until his vision doubled. Speaking of— 

“Cables please.” Ryou stopped in front of his door in the apartment hallway, turned toward Yugi, and held out his hand. They’d made it back to Ryou’s apartment just before the rain began to sprinkle, but it looked like it would pour at any moment. 

“Here you go.” Yugi slid a backpack off of his shoulders and handed it to Ryou. “I’m glad the doctor said you’re better now. I was worried about you.”

“Please don’t worry. I promise I did nothing but rest the entire time.”

_Because he had Amir taking care of him while he recovered._

“That’s great! You look better than before you even hit your head. No more dark circles under your eyes!” 

“Thank you.” Ryou turned toward the door, wanting to go inside. “Well, I’d love to chat, but I’d hate for you to catch the storm. You'd better get home before you get drenched.” 

“Yeah, you’re right—oh, hey, the rest of us are going to the arcade tomorrow. Since you’re better now, do you want to come with us? Everyone misses you.”

“Sorry, Yugi.” Ryou offered a polite smile. “I’m going to lock myself inside all weekend and catch up on Dead Before Daylight.” 

“Ryou.” Yugi groaned. “You really do look healthier now. Don’t blow it by staying up all night playing video games again.” 

“Bye, Yugi,” Ryou sang the words. “Thank you for taking me to the doctor. I’ll text you Monday.” 

With that he slipped into his apartment before Yugi could protest or ask to come inside. Ryou pressed his back against the door, the backpack hanging from his hand, and sighed. He waited a moment to see if Yugi would knock, jaw tense as the seconds ticked by, but Yugi must have caught the hint because he didn’t knock and the apartment stayed silent. 

“It’s okay. I think he’s gone,” Ryou said to the empty living room. 

“How’d your appointment go?” Amir poked his head out from the shadowed hallway. 

“Great! The doctor said I’m fine as long as I don’t get dizzy again.” Ryou grinned. “Let’s eat dinner and then set up for our game!” 

“Way ahead of you. I made tonjiru, and it’s on the stove waiting for us.” 

“Thank you. You’re the best roommate in the world.” Ryou slung his bag to the floor as they went into the kitchen. 

They ate dinner quickly and without a lot of conversation. Afterward, Amir told Ryou to wait in the bedroom while he set up for their game. Ryou took a quick shower and brushed his teeth, and then snuck into the bedroom. He wore a short sleeved shirt, no longer afraid of Amir seeing his tattoos. Ryou smiled as he looked at his arms. The sakura blossoms always made him happy each time he saw them; he hated wearing sleeves. 

“Okay! Come see what I did!” Amir burst into the room, face excited and arms shiny with sweat. 

Ryou jumped up and they raced into the living room. “Oh! It looks wonderful.” 

Ryou scanned the obstacle course. Not only did Amir shift the sofa, chairs, and table to create a maze-path for them to run through, but he set up blanket fort areas for them to hide in. 

“I’ve been thinking about this for weeks.” Amir grinned, his tongue poking out between his lips. “I can’t wait to chase you through all this.”

“Yes, only, I believe _I_ will be the one chasing _you_.”

“What?” Amir laughed. 

“You got to chase me last time. It’s my turn.” Ryou smiled. 

“But I can see in the dark and you can’t.” 

“That makes it more challenging—and therefore more fun—for me.” 

Amir bit his bottom lip, thinking. His eyes grew unfocused and a little smile crept across his face. 

“Amir?”

“Huh? Oh, yeah, sure. You can chase me. Whatever.”

“Did… did you just get really excited about me trying to kill you?” Ryou asked. 

“Mmmmmaybe. Is that bad?” 

Instead of answering, Ryou marched up to Amir. He grabbed the front of Amir’s shirt, tugging him closer. Ryou raised onto his toes so he could whisper against Amir’s lips. 

“Light a few candles in the furthest corners so I don’t hit my head again. I’ll go get my fan. You should start in a hiding spot—make me hunt you for a bit before the chase begins.” 

Ryou ran to his bedroom, tossing his hair into a ponytail and grabbing a folded bamboo fan. He hit the lights in the bedroom and waited a moment for his eyes to adjust to the darkness. The faintest glow trickled down the hallway from the living room from the candles Amir lit. Ryou counted out loud to ten. He laughed as he strolled down the hall. A shiver tickled his spine at how much he sounded like the Ring-Spirit, but he wanted to roleplay the part correctly, and he supposed the spirit _was_ how Ryou would have sounded like, if he’d ever been trying to kill someone. 

Two candles flickered in the corners of the living room. Amir had set them on the floor and their waving light made the furniture shadows dance against the walls and ceiling. Ryou hummed, licking the edge of his fan as he started to walk through the maze Amir made for them. He casually toed some of the sheets out of the way to look beneath the coffee table and then inside a lean-to extending from a chair. Rain ran in sheets down the windows. Loud rapping came from the drops striking the boarded one and Ryou reached his first dead end. He looked around, trying to think of where Amir would hide.

Ryou heard a tink behind him, but knew better than to turn around. Instead, he crouched low, concealing himself and waiting for his buck to spring out from hiding to escape. As predicted, Amir bolted in the other direction, leaping over the couch to try and put distance between himself and Ryou. Ryou vaulted over the couch after him. Amir tossed a regular kitchen chair into Ryou’s path. Ryou laughed as he thought of pallets from Dead Before Daylight. Apparently, Amir paid attention to all the _let’s plays_ they’d watched online, but this wasn’t a video game, so nothing stopped Ryou from hurtling over the chair and continuing the chase. Ryou’s chest heaved, but he could hear Amir gasping as well. It was a matter of Ryou’s speed versus Amir’s endurance, so Ryou pushed himself to go faster.

“Fuck!” Amir cursed as Ryou managed to herd him into a corner.

With the entertainment center on one side, and the wall on the other, there was nowhere for Amir to go. He spun, eyes focused on Ryou, a feral snarl on his lip as fight or flight reflexes surged through his system. Amir pulled a fan from his back pocket. Ryou smirked. He hadn’t realized Amir had armed himself. No matter. Ryou knew Amir was impetuous. He waited for Amir to swing, ducked below, and held the side of his own fan against Amir’s neck.

Amir froze, every muscle in his body taut. Ryou stepped closer pressing the fan a little more firmly into Amir’s flesh to make sure Amir could feel it. Amir’s eyes were all whites and pupil, and Ryou gazed into their black depths, knowing Amir could see him despite the tentative lighting in the room. There was a distinct change in Amir’s expression. Ryou had expected him to act like a caged animal and lash out, but instead he lidded his eyes and gave Ryou a yearning stare. Ryou dragged the fan down, toying it across Amir’s chest. 

“I win.” 

A huff of air was Amir’s only response as he stared down at the way Ryou teased him with the fan. Along his bicep, across his pectoral muscles. Ryou drew autopsy lines down Amir’s chest, and then teased just beneath his belt line. He could see, even in the dim lighting, the bulge in Amir’s pants, and Ryou pressed his knee lightly against it as he slid the fan in and out of Amir’s pants. Ryou looked at him again, sliding the fan back under Amir’s jawline.

“What are you going to do?” Amir whispered. 

Ryou smirked, reaching behind Amir’s head and gripping his hair so he could pull his head back. The kiss was rough. Ryou still role playing a killer, he forced his tongue into Amir’s mouth. It wasn’t difficult to do. Amir’s lips parted the moment they felt Ryou’s tongue and he moaned and stretched his own tongue along Ryou’s. They crashed into the corner of the room, groping at each other’s chests, the fans forgotten on the floor. 

Amir grabbed Ryou’s throat. Ryou gasped at the surprise of it, but wasn’t afraid. Amir licked along the shell of Ryou’s ear, nibbling at the lobe before whispering. 

“It’s my turn to hunt you now.” 

Ryou grunted, unable to nod. Amir released him, grabbed his fan, and dashed down the hallway where he started counting. Ryou knew he only had until ten. He ignored all the little blanket dens and chose a spot near the back corner of the sofa. In a crouch, Ryou would be invisible, but he could still see much of the living room through the reflection of the blank television screen. His eyes had adjusted to the faint light, and although he couldn’t see as well as Amir, he could see well enough. 

A high, joyous cackle rang into the dark air, and Amir bounded into the living room, smacking back sheets and shaking furniture. Calm, steady, and soundless, Ryou shifted behind Amir. He stayed low, lest Amir catch Ryou’s reflection in the glass figurine cases on various shelves. Ryou avoided Amir’s path of throw pillow and bed sheet destruction by staying close behind him and always moving with him. 

“Come out and play with me, dumpling.” Amir lifted up the front end of the couch, and dropped it the moment he realized Ryou wasn’t behind it. 

Ryou used the moment to stand behind Amir and press his “blade” against Amir’s throat. “You’re dead, love.” 

“Oh Ryou,” Amir moaned Ryou’s name like they were lovers, leaning against Ryou’s chest. 

Ryou dropped his fan again so he could slip Amir’s shirt over his head. His lips danced right to left, like he was reading Amir’s scars with his lips. Amir writhed in Ryou’s arms, grinding backward against Ryou’s cock. Ryou’s nails dug into Amir’s sides. 

“One more round?” Amir asked. 

“You can go again since you’ve lost twice in a row,” Ryou said. 

He flipped around to face Ryou. His teeth sank into the junction of Ryou's neck and collar and Ryou cried out in bliss. 

“If I catch you, I’m going to tear your clothes to shreds,” he growled as he bit his way up Ryou’s neck.

“If I catch you, I’m going to make you scream.” Ryou scraped his nails down Amir’s stomach because he knew Amir loved to be scratched. 

“Will I beg for mercy?” Amir laughed, the vibrations tickling Ryou’s throat. 

“No, you’ll beg for more.” Ryou sank his nails a little deeper into Amir’s skin. 

“I would,” he gasped, hitching against Ryou. “I will— I am— oh Ryou please!” 

Ryou pulled away. “Have you ever heard the joke about the sadist and the masochist?” 

“No?” Amir eyed Ryou as he fetched his fan. 

“So the masochist is begging, _baby, baby, please hurt me_ , _I need it_ _so bad_ and so the sadist says _no_.” 

Amir blinked for a moment. He gave a single snort at first, and then a monstrous roar of laughing. “That’s so stupid!”

“But you’re laughing.”

“Ryou—” 

“No. Go count to ten.” 

Amir muttered to himself about bad jokes until he was out of sight and counting out loud. Ryou didn’t bother with his fan. He slipped into the largest blanket fort in the center of the room and slipped out of his clothes. He lay on his back, feet on the floor but knees draw upward and legs splayed. Ryou’s heart raced and he calmed his frantic breaths. 

“You won’t be able to play the same trick twice!” Amir called out into the room. “I’ll know if you sneak behind me this time.” 

Lightning flashed through the windows, and Ryou saw Amir’s silhouette. Ryou pushed himself onto his elbows, but kept his feet planted and legs wide. He wanted to see Amir’s expression when he was “caught.” 

More lightning flashed, and Ryou realized the silhouette trick worked both ways because instead of kicking up the sheets, Amir knelt at the entrance and lifted the cover flap. 

“Oh gods,” Amir gasped when he saw Ryou. 

“You’ve caught me.” Ryou smiled. “Now do your worst to me.” 

Amir slid between Ryou’s legs, his knees pressed into the carpet. He clamped his hands down on Ryou’s wrists, eyes locked onto Ryou’s gaze. 

“How’s your head?”

“It’s full of terrible thoughts.” Ryou smiled as he ran his foot up Amir’s left quad. When he reached the top, he pressed his heel against Amir’s cock. 

“Ryou, do you feel dizzy?”

“No, I feel great,” Ryou promised, “but I bet you can make me feel spectacular.” 

Amir elbowed Ryou’s wandering leg to the side so he could press his weight against Ryou’s pelvis. He lowered himself down until their lips could reach. Ryou sucked on Amir’s bottom lip. He tried to bite it, but it was too slippery, so he settled for licking. Amir rolled his hips down, and Ryou moaned. He set up a slow, strong rhythm of rolling down and dragging up. The fabric of his pants were harsh against Ryou’s bare cock, but Ryou couldn’t pull away from Amir’s grip. 

“Take off your pants. I don’t like the feel of them,” Ryou said after three failed attempts at escaping. 

Amir struggled out of the remainder of his clothes. He kicked the pants out of the tent, lay back on top of Ryou, and started hitching their naked bodies together. 

“Amir.” Ryou hooked his right leg around Amir’s body. 

“Ryou—Ryou—”

“Amir, I’ve wanted this for so long.” Ryou hiked his hips up, making Amir call out. “ _Fuck-please-more_!”

Amir pressed his lips against the scars on Ryou’s chest. Each kiss was a sloppy mess, several missed the scars altogether, but his lips felt good against Ryou’s skin no matter where they landed. Ryou raked his nails down Amir’s back, purring when Amir called out in ecstasy. They both grunted as they ground against each other’s cocks, frotting until they were gasping and dripping sweat. Ryou grabbed Amir’s ass, squeezing. 

“Do you want more?” he asked.

“Yes, yes, Ryou, please, gods, please.” 

“Do you want me _thrusting_ —” Ryou punctuated his words with actual thrusts. “Inside you _again and again and again_?” 

“Gods yes!” Amir wailed. “Ryou please. I want you to fuck me until I can’t breathe.” 

“There’s a bottle of lube—”

“In the top drawer. I put away your laundry.” Amir gave a breathless laugh as he pushed himself up and backed out of the tent. 

“Bring the anal beads and vibrator too. We might want those before the night is up.” 

“Sweet gods.” Amir ran to the bedroom. 

Ryou sat up, twisting his hair into a knot and wiping sweat away from his forehead. He counted the seconds, counted, counted, counted, eager, and excited, and so happy that he could scream. 

Then a knock hit the door and Ryou’s heart leapt into his throat. He scrambled out of the tent, hoping it was somehow his imagination, but another knock thudded again. 

“J-just a moment!” Ryou rushed to dress, hopping into his pants, and having to kick his boxers under a throw cushion because he’d forgotten to put them on. He was struggling into his shirt when he heard Amir hissing from the hallway.

“Ryou!”

“What?”

“Here.” Amir threw something at Ryou, who caught it. It was a long sleeved shirt. 

“Thank you.” Ryou whispered back and he tugged it over his head.

“My clothes.”

“Shit.” Ryou ran them over to him and then hit the lights. 

The light hurt. Ryou was bitter for it. The dark had been beautiful; the light was invasive. Another knock set Ryou’s teeth on edge. 

“I’m on my way!” Ryou added, then under his breath in a mutter, “ _I’d like to say I’m coming, but I have to answer the door instead_.” With a defeated sigh, Ryou swung the door open. “What—oh!” Ryou’s eyes widened. “H-hello… everybody.” 

“Surprise!” The entire group shouted at once. 


	9. Chapter 9

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> this chapter is soooo long. It was a total pain to proofread. Hope you like it tho!

Ryou covered his mouth in honest surprise. Yugi, Jonouchi, Honda, Anzu, and Mai all stood in the hallway of his apartment complex. It took a second for his brain to catch up, but as soon as it did, he threw his arms up in the air.

“Mai!”

“Ryou!”

“You poor thing, you’re soaking wet from the rain! When did you come back to Domino?” They squeezed each other for a second and separated again. 

“Last night. I know you told Yugi you wanted to stay at home, but—Ryou what the hell happened to your apartment?”

“Uhh.” 

Ryou spun around to look behind him, remembering that his boxers were hiding beneath one of the throw cushions scattered across the floor. Their original maze was a disaster from Amir moving furniture and kicking up the sheets. A few of the lean-to’s were collapsed, and the boarded up window didn’t help the look. 

“I was playing a game.” 

“Ryou, you didn’t move this all by yourself did you?” Yugi smacked his forehead. “The doctor told you to ease back into things, not move couches.” 

“Yugi, please don’t raise your voice at me. I didn’t move the couch.”

“Then who did?” Jonouchi asked as they all stepped into the living room, closing the door behind them. 

Ryou smiled. It was his way of shooting Jonouchi an angry look without actually doing it. Of course Jonouchi would ask the obvious question. Then Ryou’s stomach twisted as he suddenly remembered Amir’s past with everyone in the room. His mouth became dry. He tried to swallow, but it didn’t help. 

“Well, um, a friend.”

“You have a new friend? Can we meet them?” Yugi’s face brightened.

“Um…” Ryou held his breath, cursing himself. “N-no, I don’t think that’s a good idea. You won’t like him.”

“Don’t be ridiculous Ryou. Of course we’ll like any friend of yours.” Anzu smiled to reassure him, but it only made him feel worse. 

“Yuge likes everyone.” Jonouchi hooked his arm around Yugi’s neck and ruffled his hair. 

“Cut it out Jonouchi!” Yugi laughed. 

“I’m sorry.” Ryou walked into his wrecked horror game maze as the other two rough, housed. “I—I don’t know what to do.”

“Ryou.” Mai walked up to him and nudged him with her elbow. “Don’t worry about it. Are they here? Just introduce us. If you’re worried about Jonouchi and Honda, Anzu and I will be sure to make them behave, right?” Mai winked at Anzu. 

“That’s right!” Anzu gave her a thumbs up. 

“It’s a little more complicated than that.” Ryou sighed. “I just… don’t want anyone to be hurt.” 

He heard Amir’s voice from the hallway. “As long as they don’t start anything—I won’t need to finish it.”

“Hey! Why ya hiding in the hall like that?” Jonouchi called. “Come out and introduce yourself to everyone!” 

“It’s not like we’re going to attack you,” Honda added, but Ryou wondered if he would have spoken up had he known who was in the hallway. 

“Yeah, we promise we’re friendly!” Yugi added. 

Amir peaked from around the corner—all hair, eyes, and forehead—the rest of him hidden. The air in the room went immediately tense. Everyone’s body language stiffened, and the color in their faces drained until they were as pale as Ryou. The ceiling light reflected in their wide eyes and their mouths were all slack in shock. 

“His name is Amir, and yes, he is who you think he is, but please don’t judge him too harshly. He’s important to me.” Ryou shifted his gaze so it hit everyone in the room. 

“You!” Jonouchi dashed forward, fist cocked. 

A dark look twisted Amir’s face. Desperate to stop the confrontation, Ryou stuck out his foot and tripped Jonouchi. He crashed onto the sofa instead and landed with a loud _oooouufff._ Jonouchi pressed himself high enough to turn behind his shoulder and shoot an irritated look at Ryou.

“What the hell?” 

“Please, don’t start a fight.” Ryou raised up his hands in a surrendering gesture. “I don’t want to see you get hurt.” 

“Ryou, he’s only trying to protect you,” Yugi scolded.

“Protect me? Protect me from what? Amir isn’t going to hurt me! I’m the one trying to protect Jonouchi.”

“You can’t know he won’t hurt you.” Honda shook his head. “All he likes to do it hurt people.”

“I _do_ know Amir won’t hurt me, thank you very much, and I’d appreciate it if you weren’t so rude as to assume what he does or doesn’t like.” 

“Ryou.” Mai took a few small steps back, her eyes locked on Amir’s face still half-hiding behind the wall. “You were unconscious. You don’t remember—” 

“I’m aware of his past, Mai. I am very sorry. I wish you all would have _called me_. I could have met you somewhere—” 

“But Ryou, we’re worried about you. It’s not safe here.” Yugi grabbed Ryou’s hand and tugged him toward the door. “Come on. We’ll go to the Game Shop and call the police.”

“Yugi, please. You can’t call the police when he hasn’t done anything wrong.” Ryou pulled his hand away. 

“He’s right, Ryou. That guy’s too dangerous to hang around.” Honda shook his head. 

“Why won’t any of you listen to me?!” Ryou shouted. Everyone in the room froze. Again, their eyes were wide in shock. Ryou sighed and backed himself toward the hallway. “He’s been living here for a month, and he’s been the best friend imaginable that entire time. I understand if you’re afraid, and I won’t ask you to try and get along, but you will _not_ drag me to the Game Shop and we are _not_ calling the police when he’s done nothing wrong!” 

“Nothing wrong? He put Mai into a coma! How’s that for wrong?” Jonouchi ground his teeth and pointed in Amir’s direct.

“And killed Jonouchi!” Tears pricked at the corners of Yugi’s eyes. “Killed him, Ryou. Killed him. He was gone…”

“I know. I’m sorry.” Ryou hugged himself. “I’m sorry. I know this is abrupt for all of you. I’m so sorry.” 

“ _You_ shouldn’t be the one apologizing.” Honda frowned. 

“You didn’t treat _Malik_ like this.” Ryou’s hands curled into fists. “You became Malik’s friends right away after Battle City.” 

“That’s because everything bad Malik was doing was really him.” Anzu also gestured towards Amir, who held his position. 

“That is a lie. You can’t possibly believe what you’re saying.” Ryou laughed, bitter from Anzu’s words. 

He wanted to shove up his sleeve and remind them of the scar on his arm. The Ring Spirit and Malik were responsible for knife wound which sent him to the hospital. Amir had nothing to do with it. And for what? To challenge Yugi by using Jonouchi and Anzu as expendable commodities. All Malik, not Amir. And using Ryou during the tournament? Malik. Using him to try and force Yugi to forfeit the match? Malik! How dare they pass all the blame to Amir. 

“Okay, Ryou.” Mai planted her hands on her hips, pacing through a clear patch of Ryou’s living room. “I’m listening. Convince me why we shouldn’t all be running and screaming for our lives right now.” 

“Well, for one, you’re all still alive,” Amir grumbled from his hiding space. 

“I didn’t ask you, okay? Ryou has the floor right now. You just stay where you’re at or I’ll taze you faster than you can say _bitch, please_.” Mai flipped open her handbag, grabbing something inside, but keeping it hidden from view. 

“We don’t need a taser. I can kick his ass right now.” Jonouchi narrowed his eyes towards Amir although he stayed sitting on the couch, glaring and waiting for Amir to make the first move. 

“Hey! I said it’s Ryou’s turn to speak! Everyone else, can it!” 

Ryou had wanted to speak, but now that everyone was staring at him, his heart cartwheeled between his ribs. He exhaled, and then pulled in a fresh breath. “I don’t want to sound like I’m complaining. I promise I’m not whining or trying to make anyone pity me, and you were out of town, Mai, but…” he glanced up at the other’s, holding their gaze each in turn before speaking. “I’ve been sick for a month. No cards. No visits. Not even a phone call?” 

“We wanted you to rest.” Anzu’s lips parted as she blinked in shock. “We weren’t trying to ignore you! Yugi took you to the doctor, and as soon as he said you were better, we all came over!” 

“Yes, you came over, late at night without asking first to see if I had other plans—which I did. We wouldn’t be having this awkward conversation right now had you simply respected me enough to call first.” 

“So what? You were going to hide him from us for the rest of all our lives? Friends don’t keep secrets like that, Ryou.” Honda interrupted. 

“Not forever, but wouldn’t it have been understandable to give him longer than a month to get used to being a human before I threw you all together?” Ryou looked at Honda, then at Yugi, and then he turned around, smiling at Amir and walking towards him. “I know you guys mean well. I know you thought you were doing what was best for me. I just wish you would _ask me_ sometimes. Yugi took my cables away like I was a toddler, and then disappeared for a month.” 

Ryou stopped in front of Amir and led him out into the living room for everyone to see. He stood beside him, holding his hand and looking at the others. “Amir was the one taking care of me this entire time. He cooked every meal. Cleaned up the apartment. Drew my baths while I laid in bed, and even _carried me_ when I was too dizzy to walk right after my injury. I know why you all are afraid of him. I understand that and don’t blame you for it, but I’m sorry, I can’t share your fear. I’ve experienced immense kindness from Amir. Please take that into consideration before you judge him.” 

No one looked at them. They each looked away. Except Mai. She stood with her arms crossed over her chest and her lips pursed. She gestured with her chin. 

“Okay, I’ll consider it after I hear what he has to say.” She held her gaze on Amir. 

Amir stared at his feet, not avoiding the others, but trying to gather his thoughts. “It was a coincidence that this was the first place I ended up after returning from the Shadows—well, maybe Isis would call it fate, but in either case—yes, I intended to hurt whoever I found. But… Ryou wasn’t afraid of me. He treated me like a person, and he was all alone—like me—and for the first time… I understood how someone else felt, and that understanding changed me. Look—” 

Amir ran back into the hallway, dashing into the craftroom and returning with their broken teacup and holding it high for the others to see. “This is us. We were broken, but we’ve been working on it, and now we’re glued together, but we still need to finish filling in the cracks, and then smooth everything, and add the gold. Do I make sense?”

“Ryou,” Yugi whispered. “Is that really how you felt? All alone and broken?” 

“A little.” Ryou shrugged, then he sighed. “A lot, actually.” 

“Why didn’t you tell us?” Anzu pressed both hands over her heart. 

“You guys don’t listen, so I learned to stop talking.”

“I’m sorry. I never knew.” Yugi ran up to them and threw his arms around Ryou. Amir stepped away and stared at the hug as if it were poisonous. Yugi pulled back and gave Amir a timid look. “Is he really nicer now?”

“He’s standing right beside you, Yugi.”

“Oh, sorry.” Yugi scratched his head. “Um, Amir, right?”

Amir nodded, still wary. 

Yugi held out his hand, and huge smile on his face. “Yugi. It’s nice to properly meet you.” 

“‘Kay. Hi?” Amir took Yugi’s hand and shook it, although he frowned as he did it. 

“Oh geez, I need a drink.” Mai sank her head into her hands.

“Mai,” Honda hissed between clenched teeth.

“What?” Mai popped her head back up. “This is a lot to take in, and—oh, shit, sorry Jonouchi.” She winced. 

He waved her off, but his knees were drawn into his chest. “Whatever, I don’t care.”

“Let’s play a game to break the ice instead,” Yugi suggested, turning to Ryou. “What were you playing before we showed up?”

“Uh, I don’t think you want to play that game,” Amir muttered as he and Ryou exchanged a look.

“It’s too scary.” Ryou shrugged, flashing a big smile to hide his embarrassment. 

“Oh, well, maybe a card game?” Yugi fished for ideas.

“Are you kidding me?” Mai twisted her face. “I’m trying to be cool over here, but I am freaking out and the last thing I want to do right now is think about card games. No offense.” She raised her hands towards Amir. 

He crossed his arms over his chest and looked away, but didn’t say anything. 

“What about bowling?” Anzu asked.

“That’s not a bad idea.” Jonouchi finally looked up from his lap. 

“Yeah, I like bowling,” Honda agreed. 

“Amir, would you like to go with us?” Yugi gave him a hopeful look. “We really wanted to celebrate Ryou getting better.”

“But if you’d rather us come back tomorrow. We can leave you two alone to go back to your original game, since we didn’t call in advance.” Mai winked. 

“Bowling sounds fun.” Ryou felt himself blushing. The mood for the original game was destroyed at that point. He might as well deal with the problem at hand, which was seeing if he was going to keep his friends, or if the stress of Amir’s presence was going to shatter their group like another teacup. 

“You go and have fun, Ryou.” Amir turned and went back to the craft room. 

“Amir?” Ryou took a step to follow him, but Mai rested a hand on Ryou’s shoulder. 

“Let me.”

“I’m not sure if that’s a good idea.”

“I got this.” She marched off towards the room.

Ryou followed her, leaving the others shuffling awkwardly in the living room. Amir sat on the floor. He held the teacup in his hands, tracing a finger down the black filling between each crack. Mai crouched down in front of him. 

“Hey.”

“Why are you here? You don’t want to see me.” 

“That’s true. I never wanted to see you again, and I thought about shitting myself when you peaked out from the hallway, but you’re not trying to kill anyone, so...” She looked up at the ceiling, sighing. “You know what I thought when I saw Yugi and his group for the first time?”

Amir ticked up his head in question, showing that he was listening.

“I thought, what a bunch of chumps. Kicking their ass in this tournament is going to be cake.” Mai snorted. “Then Jonouchi beat me, and I somehow ended up adopted by all of them.” 

A snort of laughter escaped Amir’s throat. “Maybe next time you should try Shadow Magic. Your opponent can’t win if they die before they can declare the final attack.” 

Mai narrowed her eyes. “Bitch, did you just use a tragic moment to make a joke?”

“Um…” Amir fidgeted with the cup again. 

Mai didn’t give him time to finish, instead gave Ryou a playful smack to his shoulder. “He’s going to fit right in with the two of us, isn’t he?”

“His humor is just like ours.” Ryou’s eyes crinkled with laugh lines and he smiled and nodded his head. “It’s one of the reasons I like him so much.” 

“Damn. Okay. Well, then, let’s go.” She tugged at Amir’s elbow, trying to get him to stand. 

“But—”

“No buts. If I have to suffer a night a sobriety and friendship, you suffer with me. It’s the least you can do. I probably have a dozen new gray hairs from this!” 

“Exactly why I shouldn’t go. I was the reason you wanted to drink.” Amir wrinkled his face. 

“Technicalities.” Mai stood up, forcing Amir to stand as well. 

“I saw Anzu with Jonouchi’s sister at the grocery store once and spent the rest of the day ax-murdering them in my head,” he said. 

“But did you pick up an ax?” Mai asked. 

“No. It would have made Ryou sad.” 

“Do you think you’re going to hurt anyone tonight?”

“Not if you guys don’t attack me first. But if any of you try anything—” Amir snarled between clenched teeth. “Just because I’m trying to change, doesn't mean I won’t do what needs to be done to survive.” 

“It’s okay, Amir.” Ryou wrapped his arms around him. “They won’t do anything to hurt you.”

“What about Jonouchi?”

“I think as long as Yugi’s giving you a chance, Jonouchi will follow his lead.” Mai shrugged. 

“Amir.” Ryou pulled at his hair and pressed their faces together—nose to nose and forehead to forehead. “I promise that I won’t let anyone hurt you. Please trust me when I say that.” 

“I should be saying that to you.” Amir smiled.

“Well then, we’ll just take care of and protect each other.” 

They brushed their noses together, nuzzling and giggling a little. Mai rolled her eyes. 

“Oh geez, you two keep that nonsense up I’m going to lose my fear and my lunch, so quit being cute and let’s go bowling.” 

The rain had died down, so they took a bus to the bowling alley. Ryou made sure he and Amir sat in their own seat all the way in the back. He gave Amir the spot near the window so Amir could look outside while Ryou chatted with Mai who sat across from him. Jonouchi and Honda sat in the two seats in front of her, but texted on their phones instead of speaking. Yugi and Anzu were in front of them, and while they also chimed in on the conversation, Ryou noticed them both texting as well.

So that’s how it was on the bus. Yugi and gang, including sidekicks. Ryou wished he could see their text conversation, but knew it was probably better he didn’t becuase he’d only get made. It was the same problem as always—the four of them acting like the A team while everyone else had to stick together as B team. Amir simply filled in for Otogi. It was why Ryou and Mai started bonding. They were always on the side together, and enjoyed dark humor. It made Ryou miss the Spirit of the Ring a little. His bitter commentary during moments like these was always spot on, although Ryou had usually tried to make excuses for his friends back then. Not anymore, though. 

Ryou grabbed Amir’s hand. Amir jerked away from the window, looking surprised at Ryou’s touch, but then he smiled and gave Ryou’s hand a little squeeze. Ryou leaned his head against Amir’s shoulder and continued talking to Mai about how amazing Elsa Lanchester looked in Bride of Frankenstein. He stopped trying to talk to the others, allowing them to text in peace. 

The bowling alley was crowded once they got there, but they were able to rent two lanes side by side.

“Let’s split into two teams,” Jonouchi suggested, always the competitor. 

“We can’t. We don’t have an even number of players.” Anzu shook her head. 

“I couldn’t possibly ruin my manicure.” Mai held out her hands and examined her nails. “I just spent $50 on these babies. Jonouchi can play on Ryou and Amir’s team in my place.”

“What?” Jonouchi’s mouth dropped. 

“Maybe it’d be better if I—”

“No, no.” Mai interrupted Yugi before he could change the teams. “It should definitely be you, Anzu, and Honda, versus Ryou, Amir, and Jonouchi.” 

“What a lovely idea.” Ryou smiled, grabbing Jonouchi by the arm and dragging him over to their lane. “You can teach Amir how to play.” 

“What?” Jonouchi frowned. 

“Are you crazy?” Amir asked. 

“If you two are going to kill each other, it’s better you get it done with tonight before any of us get attached.”

“Mai!” Anzu scolded. 

“Oh don’t give me that tone. What do you think is a better idea? Putting them on the same team—or letting them compete?” She shot both Amir and Jonouchi a look. “You two are capable of spending one night acting like adults, right?” 

“ _Tch_ , I didn’t plan on starting anything, but if he tries anything, I’ll finish it,” Jonouchi muttered. 

Amir laughed, leaning back into his chair with his arms cross. 

“You think I’m funny, Dandelion?” 

“At least my yellow hair doesn’t come from a bottle of peroxide,” Amir replied. 

“Jonouchi, will you help me with an experiment?” Ryou typed their names into the panel in front of the lane. 

“I guess?” Jonouchi broke out of his argument with Amir and glanced at Ryou. 

“Say something nice to Amir.”

“Huh?”

“Say something nice. Anything, but it has to be sincere, no flattery.”

Jonouchi wrinkled up his face. He narrowed his eyes at Amir while the others swapped out their shoes, typed in their names, and found balls to use. Amir glared back, but didn’t speak. Finally Jonouchi shook his head. 

“Sorry, Ryou, I don’t have anything nice to say.” 

“Well, until you think of something, please refrain from using insults.” 

“Huh, but I didn’t—”

“Well, you _did_ call him a dandelion,” Yugi said. “I know I feel bad when people make fun of my hair. You probably hurt his feelings.” 

“I’m not that fragile,” Amir snapped. 

“Can we just play already?” Honda had his elbow propped up against the computer panel. “I have to work in the morning.” 

“I’m first.” Anzu went up and hit eight pins on her first try. 

Everyone did fairly well until it was Amir’s turn. He chucked the ball as hard as he could down the lane and it flew straight into the gutter. His second attempt was no better, and by the end of the round, he was the only one with zero for a score. The second frame went much the same with everyone scoring but Amir, who went into the gutter for the third time in a row. 

“Use the arrows,” Jonouchi murmured.

“What?” Amir had been grinding his teeth into his bottom lip and stomping his flimsy bowling shoe against the polished floor, but he stopped to glance at Jonouchi. 

“The arrows.” Jonouchi pointed to the little triangles at the front of the lane. “Aim for the middle one, not the pins themselves.” 

Amir’s face said that he didn’t trust Jonouchi; nevertheless, he followed the advice and managed to get an 8/10 split. He wasn’t able to pick up either pin, but at least he’d knocked something down. The game went a little better after that, with Amir getting something each frame, and for a moment Ryou thought they’d manage to have a good time after all, but they were still losing and Jonouchi kept grinding his teeth and muttering under his breath the further they fell behind in score. 

“Calm down, Jonouchi. He’s never played before,” Mai hissed at him while Amir was up from the tenth frame. 

“We’d be winning if it wasn’t for him,” Jonouchi snapped.

“Winning what? This isn’t a tournament. It’s a game of bowling.” Mai rolled her eyes. 

“Yes! You did it!” Ryou ignored their conversation and leapt to his feet when Amir picked up a spare for his last frame. Ryou ran to him and Amir caught Ryou in his arms, lifting Ryou in the air and twirling him as they both laughed. 

“Ryou, let him make his last throw.” Jonouchi cupped his hands around his mouth so his voice would carry over the noise of the crowded bowling alley. 

“Don’t talk to Ryou like that!” Amir snarled.

“It’s alright. He’s right. The tenth frame is special and if you get everything you get one more chance to throw the ball.” Ryou noticed the veins bulging around Amir’s forehead, so he cupped Amir’s face and smiled to distract Amir from Jonouchi. 

Amir sighed, and kissed Ryou’s forehead before setting him down to the floor. He grabbed his ball and slammed it straight into the gutter on purpose. 

“What’d you do that for? You made us lose!” Jonouchi’s mouth hung open. 

“Cuz fuck you—that’s why.” Amir ran his tongue along his bottom lip, a sarcastic, self-satisfied grin on his face. 

“That’s it. I’ve had it with you.” Jonouchi stood up.

“Jonouchi, even if he made a strike, you still would have lost by 3 pins. It didn’t matter what he rolled.” Yugi stood as well, trying to body block Jonouchi. 

“It’s his attitude. He could have done his best, but he threw his chance away to antagonize me.”

“Jonouchi, you’re searching for a reason to fight. Stop it.” Mai bounced her crossed leg in frustration. 

“If he wants to fight, then we can fight.” Amir walked up to Jonouchi. 

“Yeah, maybe I do want to fight.” 

Jonouchi met Amir halfway. They stood in front of each other, sizing each other up. Amir’s hair gave him the impression of height, but they were about the same size. 

“Amir, I want to go home. My head hurts. I should probably go lie down.” Ryou tugged at Amir’s arm. 

“Jonouchi, I think Ryou’s right. Honda has to work tomorrow and everyone is tired. We'd better go home before it starts storming again.” Yugi pulled at Jonouchi’s arm the same way Ryou pulled at Amir’s, only in the opposite direction. 

“Please.” Ryou pressed his face against Amir’s arm. His hair was still in a knot, but his bangs fell down and tickled Ryou’s forehead.

“Okay, let’s get you home.” Amir jerked away, cupping Ryou’s hand into his own and leading him to their chairs so they could prepare to leave. 

Ryou saw everyone else (except Jonouchi) sigh in relief. Ryou was angry at the entire situation. Jonouchi was provoking Amir, yet Amir was the one everyone was staring at. Ryou only wanted to put the awful night behind him and do his best to salvage it with a horror movie marathon when they got back to their apartment. 

“I really do need to get out of here. 5 a.m. is early,” Honda said. 

“Have a good night Honda.” Anzu and Yugi waved. 

“Thanks, guys. Glad you’re better, Ryou.” Honda waved back. 

“Thank you,” Ryou responded, a little automatically, but he did appreciate the sentiment. 

Honda rushed ahead as the rest of them took their time putting up their balls and turning in their shoes. Ryou and Amir were the first ones outside with Mai trailing behind them, Yugi and Anzu next, and Jonouchi keeping his distance in the rear. That suited Ryou just fine. Maybe after some time they could all try interacting again, but he wasn’t about to suggest it anytime soon. 

Outside, the air was pleasant. The rain had blunted the edge of the summer’s heat and the clouds had parted, showing a glittering spray of stars.

“I’m so glad the rain stopped. I’ll probably walk home from here,” Anzu said.

“You shouldn’t go alone. We’ll walk with you.” Yugi stopped and looked behind him. “Right Jonouchi?”

“Of course. I like to make sure _all my friends_ are _safe_.”

“We’ll have to take the bus since our apartments are on the other end of Domino.” Mai gestured to the general direction, trying to gloss over the tone Jonouchi had used when he said _all my friends_ and _safe_. 

“I don’t mind the longer trip. It’s beautiful out right now.” Ryou smiled up at the stars. “Look Amir, aren’t the stars gorgeous?” 

“They are when I see them in your eyes,” Amir whispered it under his breath. Ryou felt himself blush, but the others must not have heard him. 

“Ryou, are you even listening?” Yugi asked.

“Huh?” Ryou turned toward the others.

“We said goodnight.” Anzu laughed.

“Oh, goodnight. Thank you for checking up on me!”

“Yeah, thanks for finally checking up on him.” Amir waved and smiled, but the sarcasm was thick in his voice. 

“See? This is what I’m talking about. He has a fucking attitude.” Jonouchi marched up to them again. 

Amir stuck out his hand and curled it toward himself, his message of _bring it_ very clear in his body language, and Jonouchi decided to take him up on it. Ryou balled his own hands into fists. 

“Jonouchi, don’t.” 

“Actually, do it and get it over with. I’m sick of this.” Mai’s jaw tightened and a hand pressed into her hip. “Maybe Amir can knock some sense into him.” 

“Mai! Don’t encourage them!” Anzu also had her hands balled in fists.

“This is for all the shit you pulled in Battle City.” Jonouchi swung and Amir took the punch to his face with a wicked laugh. His eyes flashed in the parking lot lights and his tongue reached out to dab against the swelling of his jaw. 

“Mmmm, yes. You know, I’ve been avoiding pain, but this jogs the memory of how good it is. You get two more free shots and then I hit back.” 

“Jonouchi stop!” Ryou lunged at him, but held him back. “Mai! Let me go!”

“Stay out of it, Ryou. Just let them fight.”

“No! I promised I’d protect him!” 

“Protect me? This is fun!” Amir cackled up to the night sky. 

“Yeah? Well, let’s keep the party going then.” Jonouchi jabbed with his left fist and crossed with his right. 

Amir careened backward with the force of the second punch. He caught his balance and snapped forward. Amir’s hands wrapped around Jonouchi’s throat. Both of them crashed to the wet asphalt. Anzu ran to pull Amir away, but Yugi grabbed her waist and dug his heels into the parking lot pavement to keep her from getting hurt. Ryou struggled, but couldn’t free himself from Mai’s grip. 

Jonouchi clocked Amir against his ear hard enough to knock him on his side. They swung at each other—fists to chests, fists to faces. Their fists were a blur, much like the reflected streetlights smearing along the wet parking lot. They jumped up to their feet and grappled, sneakers splashing through puddles. Jonouchi jabbed with his left fist again and brought down his right elbow, dropping Amir to his knees. 

“Mai!” Ryou shrieked. 

He was trying to _not_ hurt her in his struggle to get away, but Jonouchi kept punching Amir, and Amir laughed at his split lip, licking the blood and purring like a kitten. 

“Yugi! We have to break them up!” Anzu managed to pull away, sprinting to intercept. 

Mai released Ryou to stop Anzu from jumping into the crossfire of kicks and punches. Freed, Ryou dove between them instead, tackling Jonouchi to the ground and shaking him by the shoulders. 

“Stop it! Stop it! Stop it!” Ryou screamed as tears poured down his cheeks. “Katsuya Jonouchi, if you hit him one more time I’ll never forgive you! I’ll never talk to any of you again! If this is how you’re going to act—we’re no longer friends!” 

“Ryou.” 

The voice, the hand on his shoulder, it was so calm that it jolted Ryou. It was like ice cubes sliding against a hot griddle. Ryou jerked, staring up at Amir. It wasn’t just Amir, everyone was dead-quiet and watched Ryou. Ryou’s cheeks burned from the hot tears bathing them, but a fresh rush of heat welled up in his face as everyone stared. He shook with the force of his own sobs, crashing against Amir’s legs and weeping against his khakis. Amir scooped Ryou up in his arms much like he did that first night, after Ryou hurt himself. 

“Don’t cry,” Amir whispered. “It was just a little fist fight. No one’s really hurt.”

“Sorry, Ryou.” Jonouchi’s voice was also a whisper. 

Jonouchi sat up, yanking his shirt down over his jeans again. It’d gotten wrinkled halfway up his torso when Ryou shoved him to the ground. The speckle of broken, circular scars on his stomach looked pale and naked in the streetlights before he covered them. Jonouchi scrambled to his feet, hugging himself and staring at his shoes. Puddle-water dripped down from his bangs. He was going to have a black eye, although he didn’t look half as battered as Amir. Seeing it all brought harder, more desperate sobs that strangled Ryou, and he had to turn to his side and cough until he spat up a fat wad of phlegm. 

“Let’s—go,” Ryou begged. “They hate us—let’s just go.” 

“We don’t hate you.” Yugi’s mouth dropped open with the accusation. His eyes gleamed, verging on his own tears, but not shedding them.

Ryou slid out of Amir’s arms, glancing at the others. “It can’t be helped. Amir and Malik hurt everyone here. You’ve told me about the game at the pier, and you’ve told me about the tournament. Amir hurt Mai, and he hurt you, and Jonouchi can’t forgive him—I bet he’s not even mad about his own injuries—it’s because they hurt _you_ , Yugi, and I understand. Goodbye.” 

Ryou grabbed Amir’s hand and pulled him away. Amir hesitated, muttering some excuse for Ryou to stay and patch things up with everyone, but Ryou couldn’t hear it. He was shaking all over and couldn’t think about anything except getting home and treating all the little cuts on Amir’s face. 

“Ryou wait!” Jonouchi jogged toward them. 

Ryou flinched. 

“I’m not—” Jonouchi held out his hands, and exhaled a deep, weary breath. “I’m not going to fight anymore. Look, um…” 

“I never got into a fist fight before.” A deranged grin spread across Amir’s face. “It was fun. Murder is easy, but It’s more challenging to fight when you’re only trying to knock someone down instead of snapping their neck.” 

“Yeah, it’s been a long time since I could go all out like that on someone in a brawl. Surprised I’m not more rusty.” Jonouchi rubbed his arms, shaking a little himself now that his body was cooling down from the fight. “Hey, maybe I took the bowling match too seriously because I wanted an excuse to be mad.” 

“Obviously.” Amir laughed. 

“I’m trying to apologize over here, you jerk.” 

“When you apologize to someone, you say sorry. You don’t have to explain your anger to me. I already understand anger—it’s all the other emotions that are confusing.” 

Jonouchi blinked, and although Ryou was still upset, he pitied Jonouchi for being confused. The situation was a little complicated. Yugi, however, understood Amir wasn’t being facetious and laughed with him. 

“He has a point, Jonouchi.” 

“So was it the Rod that made you bad?” Anzu asked. 

“No.” Amir shook his head. “It was Malik. I was Malik—but only a little shard of him. The anger and Initiation part. I think the Rod made it… worse, but I refuse to use it as a scapegoat.” 

“If you were nothing more than Malik’s anger, how are you a person now?” Yugi wondered. 

“I wanted to be one.” Amir shrugged. 

“Magic often comes down to a simple matter of will,” Ryou explained. “Amir changed because he constantly works on it.” 

“Like kintsugi.” Amir grinned. 

“So…” Jonouchi kicked at the asphalt. “I was supposed to say something nice, yeah?”

“Nah. You don’t have to. I already told you—I get why you’re pissed.” Amir shook his head. 

“Well, you throw a mean left hook. Does that count as a compliment?” Jonouchi looked up, grinning. 

“Yeah. That’s a good one.” Amir rubbed his swollen jaw. “And your punches are pretty good too. I’m going to hurt like hell in the morning. I underestimated you.” 

“Maybe next time we go bowling, I can give you a few more pointers. Err, teach you how to play a bit?”

Amir looked shocked, and Ryou felt like he’d slipped into a hallucination. Was it actually _Jonouchi_ offering to go bowling with Amir a second time? Was that real? Only three minutes ago they’d been rolling around the parking lot swinging at each other. 

“Um…” 

Amir looked shot through the heart, suspicion, panic, fury, and hope wrestling on his expression. He turned to Ryou, and Ryou rested his palm on Amir’s chest to assure him that Ryou was standing beside him no matter how he responded. Amir turned his face back towards the others. 

“I… guess… as long as you call before you pop in next time, I could cook something for everyone?”

“He’s such a great cook you guys!” Ryou felt his mood brighten at the mention of food.

“Okay! We’d love to come over for dinner—after calling,” Yugi said. 

“If you want, I could bring something, too, so you don’t have to make everything yourself,” Anzu offered. 

“O-okay,” Amir stammered, cramming his hands into his pockets. 

“Oh damn, we better hurry or we’re going to miss the bus.” Mai checked the time on her cellphone and then started walking again. She raised up her hand and waved. “I’ll see you guys later!” 

“Yeah, guess we’ll see you guys around.” Amir offered his hand to Ryou again. 

Ryou smiled, waved goodbye to the others, and grabbed Amir’s hand. They walked to the bus stop, running for the last stretch to catch it as it drove down the street. When they found their seat, Ryou pressed close to Amir for warmth. 

“Are you mad at me?” Mai asked. 

“A little,” Ryou gave her an honest answer. Mai was one of the only friends he could really be honest with.

“That’s fair. Do you realize why I did it? Why I thought they should fight?” She chewed on her bottom lip as she waited for Ryou to answer. 

“Because they’re so much alike.” Ryou exhaled through his nose in frustration. “And you knew they’d talk once they got the urge to fight out of their system.” 

“Okay, just making sure you understood.” Mai nodded.

“Who’s alike?” Amir narrowed his eyes.

Mai flashed him a grin. “You and Jonouchi.”

“How am I like him?” Amir crossed his arms over his chest. “Other than both of us liking to punch people.”

“Uh, passionate hot-heads who grew up too fast because of abusive fathers and are essentially good guys but struggle with anger issues? You two are twins!” Mai’s sentence was long, and dense, but it flowed from her lips in a quick, fluid strand without stuttering or hesitation. 

“She’s right.” Ryou sighed, losing what little anger he’d been holding. “But you have superior tastes in movies and stories compared to Jonouchi.” 

“His… father?” Amir asked. 

“Did you see the scars on his stomach?” Ryou frowned, his voice low so no one could overhear despite the fact that the bus was almost empty so late at night. 

Amir nodded. “Three dotted circles? Did his dad do that? What do they mean?”

“They mean Jou’s bastard father is an alcoholic.” Mai’s jaw was tight. She tapped her heel in agitation. 

“His dad drinks,” Ryou continued in a quiet voice. “One day we were all out late, and I guess his father got mad? He shattered the bottle when Jonouchi got home and attacked him. Yugi had to take him to the hospital.” 

“That’s why we don’t drink around him.” Mai fell back into her seat, closing her eyes. “I can’t believe I even suggested it. I’m such an asshole.” 

“It’s okay, Mai. We’re all having an off night tonight.”

“Ain’t that the truth.” A snort of laughter left her mouth. She glanced at Amir. “Jonouchi has a head full of cotton and a heart full of gold. I think you guys will get along one day.” 

“Do you know where his dad lives?” Amir asked.

“Amir, you _can’t,_ ” Ryou gasped, knowing _exactly_ why Amir wanted the address. 

“I don’t have to kill him,” Amir spoke with a straight face. He was neither joking nor venting. “I’ll just break a beer bottle and stab him in the stomach three times. That’s fair isn’t it?” 

“Oh honey, _believe me_ , we all want to stab that son-of-a-bitch with a broken bottle. You should have seen Yugi at the hospital. He smiled a lot—he’s a lot like Ryou when it comes to wearing a brave face—but I’m pretty sure our little _King of Games_ was a matchbook away from setting that bastard on fire. But just because you _feel_ that way doesn’t mean you _do it_.” 

She stared out the window and the stars peeking through the clouds. “The important thing is to make sure it doesn’t happen anymore, and Yugi did that. He convinced Jonouchi to move in with him, and now Jonouchi’s in a safer place.” Her gaze stayed fixed at the stars as she sighed. “We’re all away from our shitty childhoods now, even you, so no one needs to get stabbed, okay?” 

“Hurting his dad for something he did years ago won’t make any of Jonouchi’s pain go away, right? Did it help any of yours?” Ryou asked. 

Amir’s eyes widened, thoughts turning over in his head as he chewed his bottom lip. He didn’t answer, but Ryou hadn’t expected him too. It was too complicated a question for a quick answer. 

“The best thing for Jonouchi was everyone supporting him. We all went with him to get his stuff out of his apartment. We talked over his dad when he yelled at Jonouchi. We got him out of there and to Yugi’s place in less than an hour. Does that make sense? Why it worked better? Now Jonouchi can live however he wants—just like you can, too.” Ryou held Amir’s hand. 

The bus stopped and Mai stood up.

“This is my stop. I think I’ve earn a hot bath and a few hours with a trashy romance novel. I’ll see you guys later.” 

“Goodnight, Mai.” Ryou stood up and hugged her. 

Mai smiled, winked at him, and stopped to give Amir a half hug as well. He jerked, eyes round with shock, but his expression softened, and he waved as Mai left the bus. They rode until the next stop and got out, walking the rest of the way to Ryou’s apartment hand-in-hand. 

“It’s hard,” Amir said as he sat on the bathroom counter. 

“Forgiving?” Ryou disinfected Amir’s split lip and the little cuts on his face.

“Understanding how escaping is better than fighting. If you kill someone, they can never hurt you again. _That is escape_.”

“Yes, logically that makes sense, but if we killed everyone who ever hurt us, there’d be no one left.”

“But where do you draw the line?”

“There’s no real answer to that.” Ryou shook his head, holding a cotton ball to an abrasion above Amir’s eyebrow. “All you can do is your best day by day.” 

“So it’s hard for everyone to know the difference?”

“I think so.” Ryou kissed Amir’s forehead. “But I’m very happy at how well you’re doing despite everything being so difficult.” 

“How’s your head?” Amir touched Ryou’s temple. 

“Fine. See? I told you I’m better now. I’ve been better for over a week.”

“We can play video games tomorrow, right?”

“Yes.” Ryou grinned, packing up his first aid kit. “Until it gets dark out…then we play our other game.” Ryou lidded his eyes. “I want to finish it this time.” 

Amir grabbed Ryou’s shoulders and pulled him forward, kissing him. Amir winced and giggled. 

“Does it hurt?” Ryou thumbed near the little cut on his bottom lip.

“A little. Kiss me again.” 

Ryou sucked on Amir’s mouth, tugging at it and pulling delightful moans from Amir’s lips. Ryou separated them, not wanting to open the cut. 

“Come on. Let’s go to bed. It’s been a long night.” 


	10. Chapter 10

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Cardiac Crisis actually designed a cute sticker based off this chapter (YM asks if it's okay to eat cake for breakfast, and Ryou gives the "eggs are a breakfast food" reply)

It wasn’t until the next day, when Amir shuffled into the kitchen thinking about breakfast, that he remembered the red velvet cake he’d baked for Ryou. He’d been so happy about Ryou’s official recovery from his concussion, and so caught up in their game—all parts of their game—that thoughts of dessert disappeared from his mind. Yugi and the others barging in like a tornado hadn’t helped his memory what-so-ever. 

He had a vague understanding of how one should not eat cake for breakfast, but he didn’t see why he should follow those guidelines. Besides, if he couldn’t stab Jonouchi’s father with a broken bottle, he should at least be able to enjoy the cake he worked his ass off to bake. Thus Amir walked into Ryou’s room that morning with a plate of red velvet cake in each hand. Ryou lay curled on his side, but stirred the moment Amir sat beside him. 

“Good morning.” Ryou stretched his hands over his head. 

“Would you like breakfast in bed?” Amir grinned, offering Ryou one of the two plates. 

“I’m better now. You don’t have to bring me all my meals.” Ryou noticed what was on his plate. His eyes grew bright and he licked his lips. “But I suppose one more time won’t hurt! Thank you!” 

“I thought you were going to lecture me because cake isn’t for breakfast.”

“It has eggs in it. Eggs are for breakfast, right?” 

“Nice logic.” Amir kissed the side of Ryou’s neck before digging in. “I made red velvet because it’s the color of blood.” 

“It’s a gorgeous shade of red.” Ryou took a bite, humming. “Delicious too!” 

“Not as delicious as you.” Amir swooped closer, dabbing his tongue across Ryou’s bottom lip. 

Ryou’s eyes clouded with desire. He blushed and stared down at his cake. “The swelling in your jaw is gone. I think you should be fully recovered in a few days.”

“Yeah, those were love taps!” Amir laughed. “He could have snapped my arm had he wanted to—or I could have snapped his neck, but death wasn’t the point of the fight.”

“You could have fooled me.” 

“It was...a sort of conversation,” Amir said.

“I think we’ll play Dead Before Daylight today.” Ryou shook his head. “Impaling video game characters on a hook is much better than punching real people.” 

“I’m not sure that’s true, but I look forward to playing. Can I be the Nurse?”

“She’s a great killer, but she’s a little challenging to work with.” 

“Good.” Amir licked the cream cheese frosting off of his fork tines before taking the plates back into the kitchen. 

They took turns with the shower, but changed into boxers and tank tops instead of street clothes. Amir feasted on the sight of Ryou’s arms and legs. He reached out, redrawing the sakura blossoms on Ryou’s arms with his fingertips. When he looked up, he noticed Ryou blushing. 

“I’m glad you showed me,” he said. 

“I’m glad I showed you too.” Ryou smiled.

He grabbed Amir by the hand and dragged him to his gaming computer. Amir sat at the desk and set up an account. He barely managed to hook one survivor on his first playthrough. Even after he got better at hooking, the survivors always managed to rescue each other and escape before he could kill them. Amir grit his teeth, growling as another group got away. 

“Don’t worry. We all start like this,” Ryou said. 

“It seems so easy when they play on YouTube!”

“They’re experienced.”

“It’d be really easy in real life!” Amir screamed. 

“That’s why the game is more fun.” Ryou gave him a sly look. “Don’t you love the challenge?”

“Maybe a little,” Amir grumbled as he started another game. In truth, he relished the challenge, but he was short-tempered from not having managed to kill a single person yet. 

The day sped by. Ryou made a quick lunch for them and by then, Amir was getting the hang of hooking survivors more than once. He switched to the Huntress, and after acquinting himself to her style, found he had a knack for hatchet throwing. Ryou sat curled in his lap as he played, watching and humming the Huntress’ tune as Amir busted through palettes and chased around three different Claudettes. 

Ryou must have grown bored, because he turned in Amir’s lap so he could kiss the side of Amir’s neck. Amir gasped, missing a hatchet throw because of the warmth spreading into his belly from Ryou’s kisses. 

“Did you want a turn at the game?” he asked.

“I’m playing my own game at the moment.” Ryou moved his kisses down to Amir’s shoulder.

Amir lost all interest in hooks, and blood, and sacrifices to dark entities. Who cared about dull hatches sinking into shoulder blades when Ryou’s lips danced across his skin?

“You can keep playing,” Ryou said.

“I… don’t think I can, actually.” He held Ryou’s waist instead. 

“Oh? But it’ll be fun this way. Let’s see how well you can focus on your game while I play mine.”

“I’d rather stare at you,” Amir whispered. 

“You’re sweet.” Ryou blushed. “But if you keep playing, we’ll switch afterward and you can get your vengeance against me.” 

“This is a game I’m sure to lose.” Amir snickered. “But I’m going to play anyway.” 

A horn blew in the game, signalling the exits opening. He’d already lost while talking to Ryou, but he set up the next game. Amir chased the four characters around. He put two on hooks in the basement and was chasing a third person when Ryou slipped out of Amir’s lap and knelt on the floor. He tried to ignore Ryou who lifted up Amir’s shirt to lavish his belly with kisses. Hooking the third person, Amir saw that the first two had been rescued so the hunt began anew.

Ryou’s kisses dropped to the border of Amir’s boxers. His breath hitched. He missed a hatchet throw, and hadn’t realized it was his last one because of Ryou’s tongue slipping below the band of his boxers.

“Ryou.” Amir wiggled in his seat.

“Don’t give up yet. We’ve hardly even started and it’s only going to get more difficult from here.”

Amir’s cock twitched in his boxers at the thought. He found a cabinet for more hatchets, and as luck would have it, Dwight was hiding in there, so Amir grabbed him and carried him to the closest hook. Ryou hummed the Huntress’s theme as he slipped off Amir’s boxers. Amir raised his ass enough to allow the material to slide away from his hips. The faux leather of the gaming chair was soft and warm against his bare ass, but he hardly noticed because Ryou was kissing up his thighs and his lips were both softer and warmer. 

The game went on, as did Ryou’s kisses. Areas Amir hadn’t even had a chance to touch much himself (he was still getting used to _being_ in a body, and hadn’t gotten around to exploring it much on his own) were now drowning in slow, sensuous licks. Amir impaled Dwight on the hook for a second time while Ryou grabbed the base of Amir’s cock and rolled his tongue around the hood.

“ _Oh fuck!_ ” Amir slammed both of his palms on the computer desk on either side of the keyboard. He was accidentally camping, his character standing right beside the hooked victim and preventing them from getting rescued, but Amir couldn’t move—couldn’t _think_ let alone control a computer mouse. 

Ryou opened his mouth, lowering down Amir’s shaft. Amir tossed his head back. His eyes slammed shut as he ground his teeth against his bottom lip. Tendrils of pleasure snaked down his shaft and up his belly. Ryou bobbed his head up and down and Amir hitched. Ryou relaxed his throat and allowed Amir to thrust as deeply as he desired. 

“Gods… gods.... godsgodsgodsgods!” Amir pushed against the desk to give himself a little more bucking leverage. “Your mouth’s so warm. Oh gods! Ryou!” 

Ryou replied by going lower, allowing Amir’s cock to his the back of his throat. The game was over for Amir. He was fairly sure Dwight had been rescued after all, but the realization only skimmed off the top of Amir’s thoughts. He was lost in Ryou’s mouth. Tight, trembling pleasure coiled just out of reach, and Amir could do nothing but whimper and wait for it to spring up and consume him. 

Ryou held the base of Amir’s cock with one hand, and used his right hand to graze his fingernails down Amir’s thigh. That was it. That was all he could endure. The shivering brush of nails against his skin—no pain, but the sultry, coveted suggestion of it—pushed Amir over the edge. Bright starbursts flashed behind his closed eyelids as he came. Amir sank into the chair after he finished, gasping for breath. 

Ryou curled back into his lap. Amir reached out and brushed the chili-colored blush on Ryou’s cheeks. He pulled Ryou closer, bracing the back of Ryou’s head so he could line their lips without bumping against each other. Amir felt like he was glowing! He never realized how deep a bond for another person could grow, but if someone asked he’d swear his and Ryou’s souls were melted together. So he kissed Ryou. He kissed Ryou gently. He kissed Ryou until his fingers trembled with the growing emotions overwhelming him. 

“Ready to switch?” Amir pulled away, combing his fingers through Ryou’s hair.

“I should warn you.” Ryou smiled. “I like to win games when I play them, so don’t expect me to lose control until everyone is on a hook.” 

“Oh-ho! So confident! Have you ever played this way before?” Amir licked his lips, anticipating the way Ryou’s cock would taste in his mouth. 

“Of course not. Who else would I show my tattoos to let alone drop my pants for?” Ryou’s face had mellowed to pink, but the statement brightened it to red again. 

“This might be more challenging than you think.” Amir stood so Ryou could take his place in the chair.

“That’s exactly why I wanted to play.” Ryou slipped out of his boxers before sitting down. 

Amir pulled Ryou’s shirt up over his head so he could admire all his tattoos. He kissed Ryou’s hand and travelled to his opposite arm before dropping down and working against the scars on Ryou’s chest. He heard the familiar tune for the Haddonfield stage. 

“Who are you playing as?” Amir asked as he meandered kisses down Ryou’s body. 

“Trapper.” 

“Fitting.” Amir snorted before returning to his own game. 

“I like the- _ahh_ \- strategy. Of… guessing where to put the… traps.” 

Amir noticed the hitches and pauses in Ryou’s words. He wanted Ryou to feel the same ecstasy he’d experienced a moment before, so he abandoned a coy game and lapped at Ryou’s balls with his long tongue. Ryou muffled a squeal, even as Amir heard the sound of a victim plunging onto a hook. Amir smirked. Knowing Ryou was pretending to murder people as Amir gave Ryou’s balls and cock the melting popsicle treatment was a turn-on despite Amir having already been satisfied. 

Ryou’s pants and whimpers drowned out the videogame screams. Amir forgot Ryou was even playing a game by the time he swallowed Ryou’s cock into his mouth.Savoring the smooth texture of Ryou’s skin below his tongue, he licked along Ryou’s shaft several times before sealing his lips all the way to the base. 

“Fuck,” Ryou swore, and Amir didn’t know if it was from pleasure or from making a mistake. 

Amir slid his head up and down, mimicking everything Ryou had done to drive Amir mad with desire only moments prior. 

“Fuck… fuck… oh that cheating bastard!” 

The profanity flew from Ryou’s mouth. Amir would have laughed if he hadn’t been preoccupied. 

“Another little bitch just disconnected!” Ryou growled. 

Amir looked at him, Ryou’s cock shoved all the way to the back of his throat. Ryou returned the glance. His features softened as he studied Amir’s face. He leaned back away from the computer, raking his nails along Amir’s scalp. Amir exhaled through his nostrils. The rough act spurring him to suck faster than before. 

“Two kills… two disconnects… I—” Ryou’s eyes closed and he tugged Amir’s hair. 

Amir knew there wouldn’t be a second game for Ryou. He was far enough along to no longer care about playing, though his anger had been the most precious thing Amir had ever seen. He slurped Ryou into his mouth, sucking and licking and purring with each tug Ryou gave his hair. 

“Oh please,” Ryou whispered, slinging one leg over Amir’s shoulder. “Oh please, please, that’s so nice. A-a little more!” 

Ryou writhed beneath him, raising his hips, his hair scattered along the back of the office chair. Amir didn’t scratch Ryou’s thighs. Instead he brushed his fingertips over Ryou’s dragon tattoo along his hips. He caressed the sensitive area where his body and legs connected and thanked the gods for the sounds Ryou made because they were beautiful to hear. 

“Amir!” Ryou thrust hard enough to almost tip the chair, coming into Amir’s mouth. 

Amir froze in shock for a moment, but recovered in time to swallow. He wiped his mouth, chuckling to himself. 

“Sorry… sorry.” Ryou sighed, his eyes fluttering shut. 

“We’re still playing tonight, right?” Amir ignored the polite muttering, instead kissing the blossoms on Ryou’s legs. 

“Of course. This was only a side game.” Ryou leaned forward so he could kiss Amir’s cheek. 

“Noticed you didn’t play a second game.”

Ryou laughed. “You were right. It was more of a challenge than I had anticipated. Couldn’t really focus enough to start a new game.”

“Do you always swear like that when you play?” Amir lowered his eyelids. “Or was it pillow talk?” 

“Um…” Ryou blushed again. “Maybe a little of both.” 

They laughed, and Ryou went into the kitchen to fetch them extra cake before they returned to playing. 

***

“Tonight, I want you to wear this.” Ryou held out the strip of black silk he’d found in his craft supplies. 

“Only that?” Amir raised an eyebrow. 

“If you’d like.” Ryou squirmed a little. 

Ryou’s earlier game only ignited his desire. He’d been distracted by thoughts of their own version of hide and seek all day long, and now it was time to play. Ryou’s cock was already growing hard from anticipation alone. 

“It’s a little too small to cover my cock.” 

“It’s a blindfold, love.” 

“Oh.” Amir snickered. “That makes… much more sense, but how will I be able to see if I’m blindfolded?”

“Exactly.” Ryou purred, running the dark silk across his lips to entice Amir. “You can see in the dark. This will make the game more interesting. I only plan on playing one round tonight. You’ll have to go slow, blindfolded, but once you catch me…”

“If you want to blindfold me, you’ll have to let me prep you first because I don’t plan on taking it off once I catch you.” Amir ripped his clothes off. 

He grabbed the lube from Ryou’s dresser and splashed it over his erect cock. 

“Fair enough.” Ryou slipped out of his boxers, lay on the bed, and spread his legs, holding onto his knees like they were the railing of a roller coaster car. “One more thing. The entire apartment is our stage- except the kitchen. I don’t want you getting hurt in there. Anywhere else is game.” 

“Will you be waiting in bed for me?” Amir circled a lube slick finger around Ryou’s asshole. 

Ryou hitched his breath. “I won’t let this be easy for either of us. You know how much I love a good game—especially if it’s a little scary.” 

“Oh?” Amir pushed in a second finger and leaned over Ryou’s body. “Do I still scare you?” 

“I have a very good imagination.” Ryou smiled. 

“I’ll do my best to immerse us in the role play.” 

“ _Ahhh, there!”_ Ryou moaned. 

Amir crooked his fingers, thinking about hooks from their game, and Ryou shoved his hips into the air. Amir toyed with the motion until Ryou was wailing and bucking, wild with need. Amir wanted to take him then and there. 

But the game….

The game.

They’d started this with Ryou dragging him into a game, blinding him with a flashlight and running, (and now he’d played enough Dead Before Daylight to get how funny the flashlight move was). They had to finish with a game. He wanted adrenaline rushing through Ryou’s blood by the time their bodies melded together. 

Amir pulled his hand away, leaning over Ryou and biting into his collarbone. Ryou cried out again. He clawed at Amir’s back and rocked his hips to get more friction between their cocks. Amir pinned Ryou’s wrists over his head with his right hand. His left hand pinned Ryou’s hips. 

“Not yet, prey.” Amir spat out the last word, giving it emphasis, life, making Ryou know for damn sure the hunt was still on and they weren’t going to submit to their passion _just yet_. 

“Please—”

“Beg all you want. I don’t know how to show mercy.” 

It was a playful, erotic lie, and he punctuated it with more bites to Ryou’s collarbone. 

“Fuck!” Ryou called out. 

“I’m ready to be blindfolded.” Amir lidded his eyes, giving Ryou a sleepy, docile stare as he released Ryou’s wrists. 

“Do not take this blindfold off or cheat in anyway or I will tie you to the bed and pleasure myself right in front of you as punishment.”

“ _Kekeke,_ ” Amir cackled at Ryou’s threat. 

Ryou wrapped the silk over his eyes. Amir didn’t mind the dark. Even blind, he knew he wasn’t in the Shadow Realm. It wasn’t cold enough, the silence didn’t ring in his ears. Amir strained to listen for sounds of Ryou.

He felt a soft kiss against his lips and heard Ryou whisper to him. 

“Ready?”

“Eager.” Amir licked his lips, fetching their fans and handling one to Ryou. 

“Then let’s begin.” 


	11. Chapter 11

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> There was a map of Kaiba Land from one of the manga reprints. And that's what I used to describe the park. Also the bad dialogue from the Kaiba employees is from the original death-t dialogue.

Ryou rushed down the hallway. Amir had set the living room up like a maze once again. A few candles flickered in the corners so Ryou could see. To make things fair, Ryou blew out the candles. A soft tune echoed down the hallway, Amir humming the Huntresses’ lullaby. A shiver ran up Ryou’s spine. 

Ryou felt his way through the maze, touching the furniture and sheet forts to get a sense of his surroundings. He used the sound of Amir’s song to keep his distance. Amir chuckled, his familiar _Kekeke_. Ryou smiled in the dark; his heart raced. They danced in the dark, inching across the obstacles. Occasionally, Ryou would kick something over to give Amir a clue, but he never gave Amir a chance to catch him. 

Amir’s silhouette paused as he stood in the dark. Keeping his breathing soft and his footsteps light, Ryou marched straight for him. Amir tilted his head to listen, and Ryou stopped less than half a meter away. Ryou held his breath, waiting to see what Amir would do. Amir took a cautious step forward, and Ryou attacked. He moved in, using his fan to cut down Amir’s chest. Amir’s breath hitched. He reached out, but Ryou was already backing away, retracing his footsteps so he didn’t stumble on anything. Amir banged his shin against a free-standing kitchen chair and he cursed. Ryou couldn’t help himself. He closed in once again, brushing his finger down Amir’s scarred spine and lower to the curve of his ass. 

“Ryou.” Amir growled, gripping the chair. 

“Not yet. You have to catch me.” Ryou retreated once again. 

Ryou ran his fingers down the wall. He heard the light shuffling of Amir in the living room. Ryou smiled, careful as he felt his way into the bedroom. In his room the window wasn’t boarded up, so trace amounts of light filtered through. Ryou sat himself on his dresser, running his hands down his thighs and wondering if Amir would find him. Ryou leaned against the wall and brushed his fingers along his skin. Ryou maneuvered his touch toward his cock, stroking himself as he waited for Amir to find him. His breath caught as he stiffened in his hand. 

His breathing quickened. He couldn’t understand how Amir didn’t hear him, but no shadowed killer appeared in the room to impale Ryou. He bit his lower lip, forbidding himself from moaning. He didn’t want to make the game _too easy_. Cock twitching, Ryou continued to pleasure himself. Right before he could peak, Ryou let go of his shaft. He panted, catching his breath. After he calmed down, Ryou circled his thumb around his cockhead, prepared to torment himself a second time. 

Amir appeared in the doorway. Ryou froze, forgetting about the blindfold for a moment. He grinned as Amir fumbled to the bed, crawling on it and feeling out the sheets for a lover he couldn’t find. Amir growled again, raking his nails against the blanket and shoving himself back to his feet. Ryou spread his legs wide, resting his heels against the dresser’s ledge. Amir turned in his direction, hearing the soft creak of the wooden dresser as Ryou’s weight shifted. 

But when Amir reached the dresser, Ryou leaned backward to keep Amir from finding him. He could feel Amir’s hot breath against his chest. Amir tapped at each side of Ryou, and Ryou waited for those hands to seize him. He held his breath, preparing a scream. 

Something _tinked_ in the hallway, and Amir sprang toward the doorway with his hands outstretched, but it was only the air conditioner kicking on. Grinning, Ryou sucked in a breath as he slid down. He left his fan behind as he marched toward the door. Reaching it, he slammed his fist against it in three, slow bangs. KNOCK! KNOCK! KNOCK! 

Amir froze halfway down the hallway. He turned, and Ryou knew Amir smirked although he couldn’t see him in the shadows. Ryou shut the bedroom door to cut the remaining light and walked forward. They crashed against each other, hands groping as they struggled to feel as much of each other as they could as quickly as they could.

“I blew out the candles and shut the door,” Ryou said as he searched Amir’s body with his lips, licking along every single curve.

“Why?” Amir slammed Ryou against the wall.

Ryou moaned in delight as he hit the drywall. Amir slid the closed fan below Ryou's jaw, dragging it across in a mock gesture of slitting Ryou's throat. Ryou jerked Amir closer, tugging at his hips and grinding against him. Amir nibbled gingerly at Ryou's jugular and Ryou scratched up and down Amir's arms.

“I wanted it _dark_.” Ryou wrapped his arms around Amir’s neck and pulled himself up.

Amir sensed what Ryou was after. He lifted Ryou into the air, pushing him against the wall again. The fan dropped to the ground. Neither of them cared. Ryou wrapped his legs around Amir’s waist and nipped at his collarbone. 

“I’m going to leave the blindfold on. I want to _feel_ this.” 

“Please… don't make me wait a moment longer.” Ryou bucked against Amir's groin. 

They kissed and frotted. Their thoughts shoved aside as their bodies expressed their desire to be closer. Amir raised Ryou higher in the air. Ryou felt Amir's cockhead nudging against his slick entrance, and then Ryou's bodyweight dragged him all the way down Amir's shaft.

“ _Nnnngh!_ ” Ryou buried his face against Amir's shoulder, digging his nails deeper into Amir's upper back.

“Oh damn.” Amir eased in and out of Ryou's body. 

Ryou's toes curled and uncurled. He gripped Amir's hair to avoid scratching his scared back, but there was no mercy in the way Ryou tugged the golden. 

“I was on the dresser.” Ryou smirked as Amir fucked him against the wall.

“I checked.”

“Not—well enough.” 

“Next time I'll find you.” 

“Next time I'll be the one hunting you.” 

“Mmmm… Ryou.” Amir purred almost against Ryou's lips.

“Amir.”

“I like when you say it.” 

“Then you'll love— _nngh_ —when I scream it.” 

“ _Fuck_.” 

“Yes!” Ryou pressed his head against the wall as Amir's hips jerked back and forth. 

“ _Ahh_ —tight.” Amir moaned, encouraging Ryou to squeeze his muscles around Amir's thick cock. 

“Mmm… Amir, please fuck me.” Ryou called out as Amir's hips slammed forward. He grabbed Amir's shoulders again, needing to hang on to something. Ryou leaned forward, crying with each thrust. “Yes! Yes! Gods! Yes! Amir! Amir! Amir!”

Ryou hooked his left arm around the back of Amir's neck so he could grab his burning cock with his right hand. Ryou worked his fist up and down, desperate as the pressure made his balls ache with need. He whimpered at his own strokes as the pleasure threatened to tear him apart. 

“R-Ryou— _ahhhhh—I'm—_ ”

“Amir! Amir!”

“Coming!”

“Amir! Oh Amir! Oh—ahhh!”

Ryou could feel Amir pouring inside of him even as his own semen splashed over his wrist, against Amir's belly, and all the way up to his chest. 

“Oh gods. I've… never came like that before.” Ryou panted as Amir held him in place against the wall. “Shit…”

“I want to see you now.” Amir set Ryou down and ripped off his blindfold. He cupped Ryou's face and traced his thumbs across Ryou's bottom lip. “Ryou. You're so beautiful. You're so… precious to me. You're the gold that covers all my cracks.” 

“Amir.” Ryou stood on his toes to kiss Amir's lips.

When they broke for air, Ryou held Amir's hand and led him to the bathroom. He washed them both with a towel, and then escorted him to the bed where they lay facing each other.

“I never want to spend another night without you beside me,” Amir said.

“That makes me very happy to hear. Thank you for staying with me, for not leaving that first day.”

“I should be thanking you,” Amir's voice broke, too emotional to continue. 

“I think we fill each other's cracks, and now we're both stronger and more beautiful than we were before.” 

“I agree.” Amir draped his top arm over Ryou, combing the tips of Ryou's hair until they both fell asleep.

***

Amir squinted at the crack as he applied the last layer of lacquer to their teacup. Finished, he set it on the desk again to dry. He heaved a sigh as he rested his face in his palms. 

“More waiting.”

“Yes, but I have a great idea on how we could pass the time.” Ryou flashed him a bright smile, and Amir perked up the moment he saw it. 

“What’s your idea?”

“Well, we already went to the museum last weekend. I think today we should go to Kaiba Land. There’s a side area called Death-T. Apparently it’s so scary, they make you sign a waiver before you’re allowed in.” 

“Let’s get ready.” 

“Okay.” Ryou pulled up his tank top over his head.

“I wish you didn’t have to put on your stupid undershirts.” Amir yanked Ryou to him and stooped so he could kiss the candle flames on Ryou’s chest. 

“Don’t worry. I’ll let you stare at all of them tonight.” 

“Do you think I could get tattooed?” Amir asked as he gave Ryou a final kiss and released him. 

“I’ll have to try and find where we could. There has to be someone in Domino who does them.” 

“I want our teacup right here where my heart is.” Amir flattened his palm over his sternum.

“That will be beautiful.” Ryou kissed Amir’s hand as if to seal the idea into his skin. 

They hopped in the shower together to save time, and threw on jeans and t-shirts. Ryou added a black undershirt with too-long sleeves to his outfit. Hand-in-hand, they walked to the bus stop and waited to be picked up. 

“That cloud looks like the Rod.” Amir pointed up at the sky. 

“It does, and that one looks like a bunny.” Ryou laughed.

“And that one looks like an 18th century Ming dynasty vase.”

“The Ming dynasty ended in—okay, you’re making fun of me because of the museum. Ha. Ha.” 

“Yeah, but at least you’re cute when you ramble.” 

“You weren’t any better in the Egyptian exhibits. You had to point out every single flaw.”

“Well, that exhibit had a lot of flaws.”

“I know. I was stuck with an ancient egyptian smartass in my head for half my life, remember? But I told you, they won’t fix it until they find proof that their current theories are wrong.” 

Amir broke out into a peal of laughter. “Your diorama was amazing though. At least the Ancient Egyptian smartass gave you accurate information.”

“Yeah, he was a regular silver lining.” Ryou smirked. 

The bus arrived and they sat in their usual spot in the back, holding hands as they watched the city zip past them. Amir wrapped his arms around his stomach while he stared out the bus window. 

“You okay?” Ryou asked. 

“I’m fine. Will you tell me a story?” Amir kept his stare at the window, but stared at Ryou through the reflection in the glass. 

“Hmmm… let’s see. Once there was a shadow who could travel as fast as the dark itself. Whenever someone got too close—the shadow opened his mouth and gobble them whole!”

“Tasty.” Amir ran his tongue along his lips. 

“But then, one day, the monster realized he was lonely, so he left the rest of the darkness to see what else he could find.”

“And what he found was a light, hidden in a box,” Amir picked up the story when Ryou paused for a breath. 

Ryou smiled, lacing his fingers with Amir’s. “So what did the shadow do?”

“He opened the box.” 

“That can be dangerous, you know. Pandora opened a box once, and out flew every evil of the world.” 

“Sounds like that night Yugi and everyone else crashed our game.” 

“More like they all flew into the box.” Ryou giggled at the joke. 

Their bus stopped, so Ryou released Amir’s hand and led him off the bus. Ryou bought two day passes. Amir glared at the attendant as they stamped his hand, but he endured it and soon they were lost in the crowd trying to decide what to do. The first thing they saw was a building crowned with three huge BEWD necks and heads, and a sign announcing the place as the Blue Eyes Arcade. They spent an hour playing video games, and trying to beat Kaiba’s high score before deciding to see what else was at the amusement park. 

“I can’t believe that asshole individually went to each and every game just to get the high score and put his initials at the top of every single scoreboard.” Amir crossed his arms. 

Ryou stopped at a vending machine and grabbed two bottles of water for them to drink. “I can’t believe we weren’t able to beat him. We got close for a few games, though. I bet with some practice we could knock him down to the second spot. I bet when that happens Kaiba jumps down from the ceiling and personally challenges the winner to a contest.” 

“Probably.” Amir took a sip from his bottle. “Why isn’t Yugi’s name on any of the scoreboards? You’d think he and Jonouchi would be here all the time.” 

“That’s a good question. They never come here? I always thought it was because Jonouchi would scream about Kaiba the entire time? Or maybe they just like the water park better and go there? It has a ferris wheel.” 

“Hey look, there’s Death-T. That’s what you wanted to see, right?”

“Yeah, so let’s save it for last.” Ryou grinned. “What else do they have? The Kaibaman Show, and—”

“Battle City The Movie?” Amir snickered. “Gods, the theatre even looks like the blimp. I can’t believe that asshole—oh my gods, Ryou, do you think I’m a villain in this movie?” 

“Um, probably?” Ryou shrugged. “Want to check it out?”

“Hell yes. Come on.”

Amir grabbed Ryou’s hand and dragged him to the blimp. It sat mounted on a building with a giant staircase leading up to the blimp itself. There were half a dozen DM-themed movies playing, and Battle City was just about to start so they rushed in line to get tickets and then sat in the back corner of the theater room. Since it was an early showing, they had the theatre to themselves, so once the lights dimmed, Ryou stole the opportunity to rest his head on Amir’s shoulder. 

“I don’t remember there being this many explosions,” Ryou whispered only fifteen minutes into the movie. 

“This is boring. Get to the Shadow Games.” Amir frowned. 

The first act was Seto flying around in his helicopter. It showed a duel where he teamed up with “Yugi” to fight two of Malik’s Ghouls, but Amir was right. It took far too long for them to get to the actual tournament. Ryou closed his eyes, uninterested in the _way-too-long_ duels in the movie. He nuzzled into Amir’s neck, and kissed his way up to Amir’s jaw. Amir turned so he could capture Ryou’s lips and they sucked and dragged at each other’s mouths as their fingers toyed beneath each other’s shirts. They didn’t stop until a loud, mad cackle boomed through the theater on the surround sound. Ryou jerked back on instinct, turning toward the wild, yet familiar, sound. 

“Oh about time.” Amir leaned closer to see a menacing, cloaked figure laughing on the screen. 

Ryou settled into his own seat, interested to see what happened. Since he didn’t remember everything from _being_ there, it was kind of exciting to watch it on the movie screen. Ryou frowned when “Yugi” attacked him with Slifer, but he found himself leaning forward when “Anzu” brought the Ring back to his unconscious body. Ryou figured Kaiba must have used the blimp’s security footage to fill in the gaps of the storyline. On screen, it looked like Anzu only watched Ryou’s face, but Ryou knew that Malik and the thief were planning to fight together against Amir. 

It was much more heroic than Ryou would have guessed—watching the thief in Ryou’s body (played by an actor) face off against “Malik.” 

“They’re not showing my other half,” Amir whispered. 

“That’s because Seto doesn’t realize Malik was there,” Ryou said. 

“But some of the dialogue doesn’t make sense without Malik’s lines.”

“I’m pretty sure Seto just thought you were nuts.”

“I mean, we wasn’t _wrong_.” Amir chuckled. 

“You know, looking back at everything while watching this makes what Bakura did seem so romantic. He was _obsessed_ with using me for vengeance, but he flung that aside to fight you for Malik. It’s… sweet.”

“Didn’t sound sweet.” Amir snorted. “They argued the entire time.” 

“That just makes it even more cute.” 

“It was even more cute when I won.” Amir smirked. 

Ryou expected the movie to carry on right until Kaiba blew up the island, but it ended right before Kaiba and Atem’s duel started, as if _that_ was the ultimate match and either of them could win. 

“That’s it?” Ryou frowned when the credits played. “Was Seto too egotistical to show how he lost? We didn’t even see your last duel against Atem.” 

“Eh, this movie sucks. Let’s get out of here.” 

“How was this even legal to make without us signing paperwork to use our images?”

“We probably sold our souls to Kaiba Corp the moment we registered for the tournament.” Amir snorted. 

“That’s not even fair. I didn’t sign up—it was the Spirit!” 

“Explain that to the lawyers.” Amir chuckled, holding Ryou’s hand again. 

Ryou groaned, but knew Amir was right. They stopped by a food court, grabbed some takoyaki as a snack, and then walked over to the Death-T feature. Ryou bounced in place as they waited in line to get in. 

“I hope the electric chair ride is as scary as they say it is—oh and did you see the map? There’s a Monster-Horror House here, too. I don’t think we’ll have enough time to do both, but maybe next time we can check it out?” 

“Sounds interesting.” Amir’s grin was all teeth as he thought about how fun a horror house would be. 

A worker shoved a digital pad at them and explained the waiver out loud to them before they each had to sign. They were shuffled down a hallway. Ryou’s eyes lit up when he saw the industrial style door surrounded by warning yellow and black stripes. 

“It’s kind of like a vault door from Fall Out. This is going to be so fun!” 

The hall was lovely, dark, and deep. It felt like it stretched on for miles, somehow growing darker as they continued to walk. Ryou’s eyes widened when he felt the warmth of Amir’s hand—although it was a useless reflex in the dark. Ryou smiled, squeezing Amir’s fingers. 

“I can be your guide in the dark.” 

“A dark hallway brings back some exciting memories.” 

Amir slammed Ryou against one of the pipes lining the wall. Ryou lost his breath for a moment at the impact, and his heart pounded in his chest as Amir hovered his lips just out of reach. 

“Perhaps we can skip the theme park and stay here instead. You know I love the dark.” Ryou smiled, knowing Amir could see him. 

Amir lifted Ryou up and fitted himself between Ryou’s legs. It was a different type of fear, the fear that they’d be caught and shamed for acting indecently in public. Adrenaline rushed through Ryou’s bloodstream and he yanked Amir’s hair, pulling him closer so he could taste Amir’s lips. Amir nudged his hips forward, teasing Ryou. Ryou squeezed him with his thighs.

A siren wailed as red lights flashed from a door a little further down the hall. Amir set Ryou on his feet and shielded him as the door opened. Ryou’s first panicked thought was that they’d somehow been caught kissing and they really _would_ be escorted out of the park, but a woman ran out from the opened door and dropped to her knees, screaming.

“Please help me! The enemy is about to blow up the space station and you’re the only ones who can save it!” She jumped to her feet and ran to a rack with futuristic vests and guns. She grabbed one of the vests, holding it out toward them. “Put on your cyber vests and defeat the intruders with your laser guns!”

Ryou noticed that the woman also wore a metallic vest over her uniform and had a laser gun at her hip. His worry vanished, and he gave Amir’s arm a reassuring squeeze.

“Don’t worry, Amir. It’s like a video game, but we actually get to play. Come on, this is going to be exciting!”

Ryou ran to the lady and allowed her to fit his vest and holster. Amir scowled for a moment, but after seeing Ryou fitting in his gear, allowed the worker to set up his equipment as well. She gave their vests a final inspection, and then pointed toward the door again. 

“There’s three intruders through that door. Aim for this spot—” she pointed to a sensor on her vest—“when you shoot them. If they shoot you first, you’re feel light vibrations all over your body. That means you’re out of the game.” 

“This won’t be as fun as peeling the skin from their flesh, but it should be satisfying to watch them drop down dead.” 

Ryou giggled as if Amir made the best joke he’d ever heard, hoping the attendant didn’t care enough to notice either of them, and rushed through the door. Inside stood a life-sized maze, and they hid behind one of the walls with their guns in hand. 

“Split up or stay together?” Amir whispered.

“Stay together. It’s three against two. We’re already outnumbered. The last thing we want if for them to tunnel one of us and then get the other one as well.” Ryou pressed his back against Amir’s to show that it would be better if they guarded each other. 

Amir nodded, and neither one of them spoke after that. They crept through the maze, staying close to the walls. The guns were bright stainless steel, so Amir was able to use his gun like a mirror to check around corners before they turned. Half way through the maze they were forced down a long, straight path. Ryou matched Amir, step for step, as they snuck down the hall. Motion caught his eye, and a man in another vest stepped out from the beginning of the hall from where they came. Ryou already had his gun raised, aiming and firing was simple and the man dropped to the floor. However, Ryou heard an extra thump, almost like an echo, but just a moment off beat. Glancing over his shoulder, he realized that Amir had shot an intruder as well. They had tried to pincer them in the corridor. 

Ryou bit the inside of his cheek, calculating the probability of being attacked from behind again. He decided to risk it. He grabbed Amir’s free hand and pulled him forward as they raced down the rest of the hall. Ryou didn’t like the long passageway, it was too ideal for an ambush such as the one they’d managed to stop a moment ago. Before the end, Ryou crouched low, listening for the sound of footsteps, and using his own gun to try and see past the T-intersection they were trapped in. 

It was only because he and Amir were crouching that they saw it, the flash of a steel barrel. The last intruder was laying on his belly so he could shoot up, but they couldn’t reach his sensor with their own guns. That didn’t stop Amir from rushing toward him. He leapt over the flashing light of the laser, and landed beside the shooter. Amir grabbed the man by the hair to jerk him to a kneeling position. 

“Ryou!”

Ryou was already aiming for the chest plate even as Amir exposed the sensor. Ryou pulled the trigger, the panel over the man’s heart flashed read, and a voice on the speaker announced them as the victors. 

“Hey! Let go!” The guy grabbed at his hair.

“Serves you right for cheating.” Ryou frowned and Amir dropped him face first toward the floor. “The least you can do now is finish your job and play dead instead of breaking character.”

“We’re pretty good at killing people together.” Amir holstered his gun, smirking.

“Yeah, that was fun, but it was a little too easy. I hope the next game is more challenging.” Ryou also stored his gun. 

They reached the exit, and the woman from earlier was there to greet them.

“Congratulations! You’ve saved the space station. Allow me to help you with your vests.”

They hung the guns back on the wall, and raised their arms so that the employee could unfasten their vests. She stepped back and gestured forward.

“If you continue down this path, you’ll reach your next destination.” 

“Thank you.” Ryou bowed before jogging to catch up to Amir. 

The futuristic decor faded and the hallway turned into a cavern. As they walked away from the stone walls, they found themselves in a fog-drenched graveyard. Ryou’s eyes widened with delight and he squealed in excitement. 

“This is it!” Ryou ran out and danced around one of the tombstones. “This is the stage that made me want to come here today. Isn’t it great? Oh my god, look at the texture of these tombstones. And those cobwebs, and the fog. Kaiba really didn’t skimp on the stage productions. This place looks fantastic! I’m so happy!” 

Ryou spun, but when he stopped, he couldn’t find Amir. Ryou looked left and right, opening his mouth to call out to him—a pair of arms grabbed him from behind. Ryou screamed out of reflex, but a broad hand was already covering his mouth and only a muffled sound escaped. 

“I’m a shadow and I’m here to gobble you up.” Amir nibbled against Ryou’s ear. 

Ryou groaned, fortunately that was also muffled by Amir’s hand. The cemetery looked so real, he could even smell the light fragrance of fresh dirt, cut grass, and damp moss, and Amir was holding onto Ryou so tightly. Ryou wanted nothing more than to bend Amir over one of the graves and plunge deep into him, or find a coffin and ride him until they were both exhausted and passed out, sleeping as peaceful as the dead. 

Amir spun Ryou around, grinning when he looked at Ryou’s flushed face. “Damn, Ryou, you really are into all this creepy shit, aren’t you?” 

“It’s not fair.” Ryou pouted, tugging his shirt lower to make sure his erection didn’t show. “We’re in a terrifying graveyard, but we can’t have any real fun because this is just a game.” 

“There’s a mausoleum over there. I bet we could—” 

“Don’t tempt me!” Ryou gave Amir a nervous giggle. “You know there are cameras everywhere. We’ll just have to pretend we’re in a spooky cemetery when we get back home.” 

“Fine, fine.” Amir sighed, but extended his arm. “At least go on a pretend moonlit stroll through the cemetery with me.”

Ryou giggled again and hooked his arm through Amir’s. They wandered through the grass and tombstones; they admired the dead trees and piles of skulls. A tall figure hiding beneath a hooded robe walked up to them. He stopped, and lifted up a lantern to peer at them through the fog blowing through the set. Ryou couldn’t see much of his face, except that he had a white beard and wrinkles around his eyes. 

“I will be your guide for the next attraction. Please follow me.” 

Ryou and Amir glanced at each other before following the robed figure. They saw a track, and then a car full of electric chairs that was decorated with skulls. One of the chairs still held a skeleton who presumably met his demise from the ride. 

“This is so great! Do we get to ride on this?” Ryou’s face grinned so wide that it almost hurt. 

“Yes. This is the transportation to your destination. I hope you survive it.” 

Ryou tugged Amir into the front row. The moment they sat down, the wrist and ankle clasps on the chairs clamped shut around them, trapping them. 

“What the fuck is this?” Amir snarled, struggling against the restraints.

“Don’t worry. It’s just part of the ride.” Ryou grinned. 

“Try not to scream. It makes the spirits angry.” The old man sat down as well. His chair held him in place the same as with Ryou and Amir. 

With a rumble and a lurch, the cart began a slow path down the track. A pair of wooden doors swung open and engulfed them into a black tunnel. Ryou blinked, trying to make out anything in the dark. 

“What do you see?” he whispered at Amir. 

“Not much. It’s a tunnel.” 

A moment later a pair of eyes flashed red in the darkness. They were followed by more, burning through the shadows in the room. The sound of breathing played near Ryou’s left side and then a crashing noise made him jump—not because it was frightening, but from reflex. 

“Weak ass jumpscares,” Ryou muttered under his breath. 

“Wait until you see what happens next.” Amir laughed, but it wasn’t as boisterous as usual. 

“What do you mean—” 

Ryou sucked in a sharp breath, jerking in his seat again as an undead vulture with a wingspan as wide as the cart swooped right for them, barely missing. Something else popped up to their side, but Ryou was expecting it, and he no longer flinched. As the darkness faded to a charcoal dimness, a mummy with a shriveled face and a huge red tentacle of a tongue dropped at the head of their cart. Ryou couldn’t toss his head back much because of the electric cap hovering just over his skull, but laughter rolled out of his mouth. 

“That’s so dumb. What’s with its tongue?”

“I don’t know, but maybe you should lean forward and give it a kiss.” Amir gave him a weak smile. 

“Hey, Amir? Are you okay? Is this boring you?”

“It’s fine.” He glanced at the scenery taking shape around them. 

More cemetery surrounded them, and holographic hags, demons, and ghouls lunged toward their cart and reached out for them. Ryou wrinkled his nose as the scent of sulfur filled his nostrils. Their cart rocked a little as the track took a dip and curved to their right. Amir opened his mouth and a loud belch shot out. Ryou was going to suggest that Amir say _excuse me_ , but a loud hiss of steam burst on both sides of their heads from the chair. Ryou laughed again, wondering how anyone could get frightened by something so simple. 

The next trick was hands springing from their seats and grabbing them. The mechanical fingers tugged at Ryou’s hair and dug into his shoulders. Ryou’s laughter became uproarious. Their guide shot an annoyed side glance at them, but it did nothing to quiet Ryou’s laughter. He felt a funny buzzing through his body, like someone zapped him with a full bodied joy buzzer, and Ryou laughed harder, gasping for breath.

“This ride is shocking!” He snickered between laughter. 

However, Amir groaned. 

“You okay?” Ryou asked again. He was _fairly_ sure it wasn’t the bad pun that had made Amir groan out loud. 

“This cart shakes more than the bus.” 

Ryou frowned. He remembered Amir often grew quiet when he rode the bus. At first Ryou thought it was because of the way the others were acting, but even later when they traveled by themselves he always stared at the window and often asked Ryou to tell him a story. 

“Amir… do you get carsick?” 

“Huh?” Amir glanced at Ryou, and Ryou noticed his face was pale. 

“When we ride on the bus. Do you feel queasy?.”

“A little,” he confessed, looking put out by his own words. 

“Don’t worry. It happens to people all the time. And I’m sure the ride is almost over.” Ryou reached out to take Amir’s hand, but couldn’t reach because of the manacles keeping them in their seats. 

But Ryou knew a trick thanks to the thief who once possessed him. He shifted his thumb so he could wiggle his hand out of the manacle. Freed, he reached out and clasped Amir’s hand. Amir jerked, surprised by Ryou’s grip. He glanced at their locked fingers and a smile twitched his lips. 

“Thanks. I— _uuh_.” Amir turned his face. 

“Amir?” Ryou slipped his other hand out of his bind, but no matter how he turned his ankles, he couldn’t get his feet free. 

“We’re speeding up and it’s making my stomach worse. I need to get off this thing.” Amir shut his eyes, his face wrinkled. 

“Excuse me sir-”

Before Ryou could finish asking the attendant to stop the ride, a huge holographic screen appeared before them. Ryou saw the waiver they signed. It zoomed into a paragraph explaining that once entered, no one could leave Death-T at any time for any reason until completed, and that any injury or damage resulting was the responsibility of the CLIENTS and not KC. Ryou sighed. 

“Yes, I understand. Thank you,” Ryou muttered, knowing that they weren’t going to get any help from the staff member. 

Amir turned his head as much as possible, and then vomited over the edge of his chair. Ryou winced at the splashing noises the mess made. Most of it managed to go overboard, but Amir’s right arm and shoulder were covered. 

“Amir, I’m so sorry.” Ryou held Amir’s left hand more tightly. 

“Actually, I feel a little better now.” Amir spat over his shoulder. 

“There are t-shirts for sale in the gift shop,” their “guide” offered instead of an apology. 

“Thanks,” Ryou muttered, but it was sarcastic. 

“Maybe I don’t feel better.” Amir turned his face again. The bile spewing over the edge was less chunky, and more of a pale liquid the second time compared to the first. 

All Ryou could do was hold Amir’s hand, his heart breaking a little. He felt the tendons in Amir’s wrists strain as he tried to break out of the restraints, but without the Items, or Shadow Magic, there wasn’t much they could do. Ryou managed to toe out of his shoes, but his heels were still too big to wretch out of the ankle-clasps. 

“Dammit,” Ryou swore, feeling a little bad for swearing in front of the employee despite the fact that the employee was unsympathetic to Amir’s suffering. 

“Hope you assholes have fun cleaning up the mess.” Amir clenched his teeth. He looked like he was holding back a third round. “And waiver or not, if you don’t let me out of this chair by the time I count to five they’re going to be cleaning up you blood off of this ride as well.” 

The old man snorted, clearly not understanding the sincerity of Amir’s threat. Fortunately—for the employee—the ride ended two seconds later and the chairs released them after the cart lurched to a stop. 

“Let’s go, Amir, we’re getting out of here.” 

“The haunted house—” The worker began.

“To hell with the haunted house!” Ryou shouted. The waiver appeared in front of them again and Ryou pulled Amir through the illusion. “To hell with the waiver!”

He shoved his shoes back on and pulled Amir around the house. Amir stumbled along without much complaint. Ryou suspected that the only reason he wasn’t screaming and lashing out was because he was still too nauseous to cause any trouble. 

“Don’t worry. I’ll get us out of here.”

“Ryou, how—”

“There has to be a fire exit, or a maintenance passage somewhere in the back, right?” 

They crept along the side of the Murderer’s Mansion. They had to turn sideways and shuffle single file through the narrow space between the house and the brick wall that stretched all the way up to the ceiling that had holographic storm clouds looming overhead. After a few steps, it was too dark to see again. Ryou reached out until the coarse brick below his fingers gave way to smooth, cold metal. 

“Here. Is this a door?” Ryou asked. 

“Yeah. Move your hand down and right and you’ll find the latch.”

Ryou followed Amir’s directions until his hand bumped the handle. He shoved at the door; it was locked. 

“You have to be kidding me!” Ryou kicked at the door. 

Amir leaned back, groaning. “It’s fine… let’s go back.” 

“Is there anything I could use to pick the lock?”

“Ryou, you can’t see the lock.” 

“I don’t have to see it to break into it. I need a bit of wire and something like a pick, though.” 

“Hold on. I’ll be right back, okay?”

“Amir—”

But he was already gone. Ryou leaned back against the mansion wall. His face burned, his pride wounded that once again he wouldn’t have survived had that been a real life or death situation. No matter how much he’d struggled, he hadn’t been able to slip his feet free. He wondered what the Spirit of the Ring would have done in that situation. Probably chewed through his own foot like a trapped animal and crawled away. He heard loud cursing, and a tearing sound. Ryou bit his bottom lip, wondering what Amir was destroying. Ryou decided to trust Amir and wait for a minute longer before investigating. 

“Here.”

Ryou flinched at the sound of Amir’s voice beside him right after the noise stopped. Ryou reached out with his left hand and felt a wire and something long and sharp that would work as a pick. 

“How’d you get it?”

“Wrecked a tree. That’s better than a person, right?”

“Well, it’s possible we’re already going to get banned and sued after this, so I guess wrecking the scenery a little isn’t much worse. As long as we get you home, I’m satisfied.” 

Ryou propped his butt against the wall. He felt his way around the latch until he had both his tools inserted into the hole, then he felt and listened until there was three clicks, and after the third, he was able to turn the latch and opened the door. Sunlight washed over them. Ryou hid his hand over his eyes. 

“Never been this happy to see light before.” Amir pushed his way out into the crowds of the park again. 

“I’m so sorry, Amir. I should have realized you got motion sick sooner.”

“I’m the one who ruined our date.”

“Nonsense. Here, sit down.” Ryou pushed Amir onto the curb. 

The brick wall provided shade for him. Ryou still didn’t like Amir’s wan complexion, and he was covered in puke all along the right side of his shirt. 

“Now you stay here, and I’ll be right back.”

“Where are you going?” 

“I’m just going to grab a quick souvenir and we’ll be on our way!” 

Ryou wore his usual _don’t worry everything will be okay_ smile that he used around Yugi, and that was because he was about to do something he knew he shouldn’t. Ryou balled his hands into fists. It didn’t matter. He was angry at Kaiba for being so extreme, he was angry at Death-T for being cheap enough to use jump scares but pricey enough to use real shackles, and (more than any other reason) he was angry at himself for not being able to help Amir. Ryou walked through the crowds and toward the nearest gift shop. 


	12. Chapter 12

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This took me hours to proof read, and now my brain is numb so here you go. It's not getting edited more than this. Hope you enjoy the double smut chapter.

Amir waited with his head in his lap. The smell of vomit made him too sick to go on a rampage, so he settled for hugging himself instead. He _hated_ the smell of vomit. _He hated it_. It was the first smell he could remember, and although darkness, pain, and suffering never bothered him as part of Malik—the smell of vomit brought back the memories like he was 10 again. His face wrinkled, stomach rolling and threatening to purge once again. Amir turned to the side to prepare for the helpless upheaval of his stomach, but he only gagged and hitched like a cat with a hairball stuck in its throat. 

“Will some water help?” Ryou knelt in front of him. 

Amir looked up. He hadn't heard Ryou return, but there he was, offering a plastic bottle of water. Amir nodded and took the cold water from Ryou’s hand. Drops of condensation dripped over Amir’s fingers, and he pressed the bottle to his forehead for a moment before rinsing his mouth. Tugging off his shirt, he splashed water down his neck and chest. Ryou was already dabbing him dry with a wad of napkins. 

“Thanks,” Amir muttered before downing the second half of the bottle. 

“Here. Got you a dry shirt.” Ryou unrolled an ugly, light blue shirt with a BEWD graphic on the front. He tilted it so Amir could slip his hands and head through all at once. “I know it’s kinda dumb, but I got you this Revival Jam keychain to cheer you up. This was one of your cards once, right?” 

Ryou held out the little trinket. The chrome flashed in the sunlight as it swayed side to side. With a weak smile, Amir reached out his hand. Ryou dropped the charm into Amir’s palm and he traced the smooth metal with the tip of his finger. 

“Yeah, but you shouldn’t have wasted the money on this or the shirt.”

“Oh… I didn’t, so please don’t worry about it.”

Amir looked back up at Ryou. His smiled gained some strength. “You didn’t, huh?” 

“No. I figured Kaiba owed us. The movie sucked, and the ride made you sick.” Ryou blinked his eyes, holding back tears. “This entire date was a disaster. I’m sorry.” 

“No.” Amir pulled Ryou down into his lap, pressing his forehead into Ryou’s chest. “I had fun—until the end, maybe.” 

Ryou chuckled, combing his fingers through Amir’s hair. “I already called a cab. It should be here by the time we exit the park. It might not be any better than the bus, but it’ll get us home the quickest.” 

Amir nodded. They tossed his old shirt and the napkins into a waste bin and left Kaiba Land holding Ryou’s hand. Ryou spotted their cab, and Amir curled with his burning forehead pressed against the cooler glass of the passenger’s seat. Ryou ran his hand up and down Amir’s arm to comfort him during the trip, but Ryou’s touch was distant, or perhaps it was Amir who was distant—trapped in memories of his creation. 

After he stumbled into the apartment, Amir stripped off his clothes, turned on the shower, and sat in the tub, allowing the spray to wash over him. The water was warm and steaming, but he shivered. 

He wasn’t used… to dealing with... _it_ … not like it was actually bad. So why were the memories bothering him now? Why did his back burn? Why did his scars feel like open wounds? 

He always appreciated the initiation, in a twisted way. It made him. It _was_ him, but now he that was human… the smell of vomit kept replaying in his mind, getting confused with the other emotions he never felt during the initiation—the fear, and grief, and betrayal from having someone who was supposed to care for him ( _a father_ ) be the one to hurt him. Those had been Malik’s feelings. Amir had suckled on the delicious anger and hatred. The beautiful emotions which created him. But now...Amir shoved his knees into his chest, hugged his shins, and wept. The sobs were loud, wracking noises, but they only lasted 40 seconds or so, and then… calm. 

He was tired, then. Exhausted. He stood up, turned off the water, and dried his body. Ryou knocked on the door.

“ _Amir?_ ”

“You can come in.” He turned the knob and felt the rush of cold air hit his side as the steam escaped into the hallway. 

“Are you okay?” 

“Will you lay down with me?” He asked instead of answering Ryou’s question. 

He didn’t know how to express the turmoil inside his mind, the weird echoes of the past, the continuous nausea despite the ride being over. He only knew that he wanted someone to hold. Like that first night, as badly as that first night, he needed to coil his arms around Ryou’s body and be held in return. 

“Of course.” Ryou kissed Amir’s hand. 

Ryou went ahead so he could turn the covers down. Amir crawled beneath the comforter and Ryou tucked the blanket back up to his chest. He smoothed his hand up Amir’s forehead and through his hair. 

“You feel a little hot. Do you still feel sick?”

“A little,” he murmured, not wanting to admit it. 

“I’ll be right back.” Ryou kissed Amir’s forehead and disappeared. 

He came back with ibuprofen and a glass of water. Amir took the pills, drank all the water, and then curled back beneath the blanket. Ryou turned off all the lights, slipped out of his clothes, and then joined Amir. They tangled their bodies together, skin brushing skin, and Amir sighed. Ryou ghosted a gentle kiss along Amir’s shoulder, and Amir shuddered. 

“Don’t stop,” he whispered. 

“You’re sick.” 

“It was the vomit. I hate the smell.”

“I remember you saying that the first night I met you.”

“It’s true. That’s why I helped you to the bathroom.”

“You should rest.”

“I’m feeling better in your arms.” Amir walked his fingers up Ryou’s spine. “But I think you could make me feel even better.” 

Ryou gave him a hesitant glance. Amir sighed burying his face against Ryou’s shoulder and squeezing him tightly. 

“Please, Ryou. There are too many thoughts in my head, and it’s making my back hurt.” He grabbed Ryou’s shoulders, kneading them in his finger tips. “Please.”

“How do you want it?” Ryou kissed the side of Amir’s face and down his neck.

Amir sighed. Relief washed through him as Ryou kissed his body. He relished the attention Ryou doted over him, thinking about the answer to Ryou’s question. 

“Like this.” Amir flipped over, propped himself on his forearms, and lifted his ass in the air. “I can relax like this, but keep the pressure off my stomach and back.”

“You look incredibly sexy like that,” Ryou whispered. 

Ryou peeled the rest of the covers away from Amir’s body. He rolled his hands up the bend of Amir’s ass, scraping his nails down once he reached Amir’s tailbone. Amir shuddered at the light scratch. Ryou kissed the small of Amir’s back, right under his scars. Ryou inched his way down to Amir’s ass, and the back of his thigh. As he traveled back up, Ryou’s hands searched between Amir’s legs. He rolled Amir’s balls in his right hand, making Amir squirm in anticipation. Ryou’s lips wandered across Amir’s body, avoiding Amir’s sensitive back, but kissing everywhere else he could reach.

Ryou continued to kiss and fondle Amir, using his other hand to brush along Amir’s ribs. Amir hitched backward after a few minutes of being worked up. Ryou pressed his dick against the cleft of Amir’s ass, and allowed Amir to grind back against him. Ryou’s hips bucked forward out of reflex. He muffled a groan and pulled away to fetch the lube. When he returned, he anointed two fingers and probed against Amir’s entrance, teasing and ensuring that Amir’s circumference was good and wet before he pushed inside of him. 

Amir squeezed his muscles around Ryou’s fingers. Ryou bit his bottom lip, going slow. He knelt forward and nipped at Amir’s side. Amir yelped in delight and shoved himself against Ryou’s fingers harder. When the anticipation threatened to tear Ryou in half, he covered his own cock with lube and rolled his cockhead around Amir’s entrance. 

“Yes,” Amir growled as he pressed his body back. 

Ryou closed his eyes, focusing on how hot Amir’s flesh felt against his cock. He eased forward, and Amir’s body sucked him in deeper. Ryou moaned, long and sultry. 

“Yes… yes…” Amir whined. 

Ryou pulled himself back with a soft cry, and then glided in again. The way Amir’s body squeezed around Ryou was maddeningly good, and each exhale became a soft whimper as he continued to push in and out. Instinct overtook Ryou. His hips moved on their own. All Ryou could think about was how much he _wanted_ the tight sensation around him, how much he wanted the friction grinding his shaft. His nails sunk into Amir’s hips, and Amir growled in appreciation. Pleasure tingled through Amir’s body, extinguishing the fire burning the ends of the nerves on his back. He bucked back, wanting as much as he could get each time Ryou thrusted forward. 

Ryou watched the way the muscles rippled beneath Amir’s scars. He reached out with his left hand, brushing his scarred palm against Amir’s scars, binding them together by what they’d survived in their lives. Amir’s breath hitched. 

“How do you feel?” Ryou managed to force the question out, although Ryou was lost in the sensation of Amir’s body hugging his cock. 

“Good.” Amir’s fingers curled and uncurled into the pillow in front of him. “Real good. _Ahh_. Touch me.”

“I’d love to.” Ryou reached around with his right hand. 

“The other one,” Amir said. 

“The scar will scrape,” Ryou said as way of apology. 

“Hmph, I want to feel it.” 

Ryou thought it over before coating his left hand with extra lube. He wrapped his hand around Amir’s shaft and started moving his hips faster as he stroked. 

“Yes. That’s good!” Amir tossed his head back. 

Ryou squeaked, overcome with how amazing it all felt. He cried out, moving faster than he thought he could but he _needed_ it so badly he couldn’t hold back. The contractions of Amir’s muscles came in rhythm now, squeezing harder each time Ryou thrust forward. 

“Ryou—” Amir moaned as he came without further warning.

The thrill of watching Amir come heightened Ryou's own arousal. He dug his nails into Amir's sides again and pumped his hips hard and fast. The friction was almost too much, but Ryou kept thrusting, too close to stop and climbing to the bliss of orgasm.

“Amir… Amir… I'm coming! Oh god, I'm coming!” 

Ryou poured out until he felt empty. Then he dropped to his side.

Amir rolled over so he faced Ryou, sighing. “I needed that.”

Ryou smiled and brushed his knuckles up Amir's cheek. “Want to take a shower with me?” 

“Let's lie here for a little while.” Amir wrapped his arms around Ryou's waist and pulled him close. “I want to hold you.” 

***

The next morning Amir slept in. It was close to noon when Ryou woke him up with a gentle barrage of kisses across his brow. 

“Are you hungry?” Ryou asked. 

“Yeah.” Amir’s stomach growled to prove his point. 

“If you want, I can draw you a bath and after you’re done, you can lay back in bed and I’ll serve you brunch.”

Amir rubbed sleep out of his eyes. “You don’t have to do all that.” 

“I would very much like to, though. You took such great care of me when I was sick, I feel like I should return the favor.” 

“I’m not really sick.” Amir exhaled, but he saw the worried look Ryou wore and smiled to reassure him. “But a bath sounds good.” 

“Okay.” Ryou kissed his lips and ran off. 

Amir pushed himself out of bed as the sound of rushing water echoed from the hallway. He was sore from the night before in a pleasant way, and he stretched out some of the tension from his muscles before going into the bathroom. The scent of rose hit his nose as Ryou sprinkled pink crystals into the water. 

“Smells nice.” 

“I keep it under the cupboard if you ever want to use it again.” 

Amir dipped a toe into the water, and hissed at the temperature. He waited a moment, and repeated the same sequence. Ryou laughed at him. 

“Wait a moment so it can cool.” 

“I know,” Amir said, as he slipped his whole foot under the water. He growled at the stinging heat until it was too much and had to pull out again. 

Ryou shook his head, kissed Amir’s shoulder, and left the bathroom so he could start breakfast. Eventually, Amir was able to tolerate the hot water and he crouched into the tub despite the burn. He relaxed, adjusting to the water a little more, and closed his eyes. Amir curled and uncurled his toes against the porcelain of the tub, and teased the metal faucet with his big toe. 

Amir’s thoughts lapped at his mind like the water at his ribs. He wasn’t nauseous anymore, but he felt… off. Lethargic, perhaps a little hollow, he felt how a soldier looked in a war movie after surviving a bombing raid—all grimy on the outside and vacant within. And he felt _stupid_ about it. How could he embrace the initiation so easily, embrace all Malik’s pain and hatred so easily, but now—long after the blood dried—be so weak and broken because of it? Not only the initiation, but memories of his own atrocities now haunted him with what he’d done… and perhaps shouldn’t have.

 _Not his father_. _He didn’t regret his first kill._

That scum deserved death. Amir would never apologize for _his_ death, but the others… 

“Why is everything so complicated now?” Amir raked his fingers through his hair. 

How could something as simple as the smell of vomit be all it took to send Amir back in time to Malik’s childhood—feeling it as intensely as Malik must have felt it? Now he understood why Malik had created him to divide up the load. All the emotions…they were too much.

“Amir?” Ryou peeked through the door. 

“Breakfast ready?” He rushed to wash himself so he could get out of the tub and eat breakfast. 

“Almost, um… I was thinking… are you too tired for company tonight?” 

“Does Mai want to come over?” Amir drained the tub. Mai had visited twice since the night they all went bowling over a month ago. 

“Yes, and everyone else, too. Yugi is working on a new game and they want us to try it with them.” 

“Okay.” Amir grabbed a towel. 

“Are you sure?” Ryou stepped into the bathroom, staring at Amir. “I wasn’t sure if something like this would make you feel better… or worse. It’s okay if you’re not in the mood. We can reschedule.” 

Amir tilted his head to the side as he ran the towel over his body. He thought about it for a moment before hanging up the towel and stepping out of the tub. 

“Actually, I think playing a game might help get my mind off a few things.” He held Ryou’s face, closed his eyes, and pressed their lips together. “Thanks, Ryou.” 

Ryou hummed through the kiss and licked his lips when they parted. “I made eggs and French toast. Come and eat it with me while everything is warm.” 

Amir tossed on a tanktop and a pair of sweatpants. He padded his way to the kitchen where Ryou piled whipped cream onto a stack of French toast. He smiled and grabbed a carton of orange juice from the fridge for them to drink with their breakfast. 

“Looks good.” 

“I hope you’re as excited about eating this as I am.” Ryou sat down, allowing Amir to pour him a glass of juice. 

“Of course.” Amir grinned as he grabbed his fork. 

The ate in silence, shoveling the food into their mouths. A layer of strawberry compote lay waiting beneath the whipped cream, and syrup dribbled down the sides of the stack. Amir slid his foot beneath the table and toyed with Ryou’s toes to show his appreciation for all the effort Ryou put into their late brunch. Ryou’s face flushed as Amir teased his foot. Amir waited until they had both finished before speaking again. 

“You know… you should really let me repay you for making me breakfast.” 

“It was no trouble! I already told you, you took such great care of me after my concussion this really is the least I could do in return.” 

The concussion which had been Amir’s fault in the first place, but Amir knew it’d be a useless point to argue with Ryou. Instead he dropped down to the floor and crawled beneath the table. He shoved Ryou’s chair back several centimeters, snickering at the scuffled sound of the legs scraping the floor. Next, he rested his chin on Ryou’s knees. 

“But it’s only polite to say thank you when someone does something nice, right?” Amir licked his lips. 

Ryou’s face flushed again. His pupils expanded. “Oh… you, uh, you look very good right now.” 

“Do I?” Amir dragged his fingers down the blood splattered socks Ryou wore. He tsk-tsked at the material. “These are cute, but they’d look better on the floor.” 

Ryou raised up his right leg and allowed Amir to roll his sock down before pulling it off. They repeated the action for the left leg, and Amir kissed around the arch of Ryou’s knees. His nails brushed against Ryou’s outer thighs and dragged them to Ryou’s calves. Amir massaged Ryou’s calf muscles as his kisses travelled higher. 

“Oh… oh…” Ryou panted, gripping the sides of the chair and tilting his head back. 

Amir reached the bottom of Ryou’s boxer shorts and slipped his tongue beath the fabric. Ryou hitched up, tugging his shorts down and below his knees. Amir yanked them to the floor, and Ryou stepped out of them before spreading his legs wide. Amir savored the view of Ryou’s parted legs and all the branches twisting around them. Ryou’s dick was only half hard, which wouldn’t do, so Amir grabbed the base and swirled his tongue along Ryou’s length. 

“ _Mmmmph! Ah!”_ Ryou shouted as Amir’s tongue lapped against his hardening flesh. 

“I want to see all your tattoos.” Amir pulled away, sliding his hand up and down Ryou’s shaft to keep it hard. 

Ryou grabbed the hem of his shirt and pulled it over his head. Amir teased the dragon scales around Ryou’s waist. So many colors, all popping out of the white canvass of Ryou’s skin. Amir licked his way along cherry blossoms and dragon scales before returning to Ryou’s cock. Ryou squealed as the warmth of Amir’s mouth overwhelmed him. He slung a leg over Amir’s shoulder and eased his now fully hard dick in and out of Amir’s mouth. Pulling Amir’s hair, Ryou called out again. 

“Amir… _ahh_ , Amir! P-please keep going. This… feels… so good. _Ahh! Yes! Yes, please!_ ”

Amir kept his tongue moving, kept his lips tight around Ryou’s shaft. He sucked until his cheeks hurt, and ran his hand along Ryou’s hipbone. Ryou hitched his hips so he could go deeper toward the back of Amir’s throat. With a sultry whimper, Ryou’s hips moved a little faster; he was already close. 

“Am..mir… yes… oh—oh—oh—oh— _aaaah! Aaaaaah! Aaaaaaah, shhhhiii-”_

He couldn’t finish the curse. His breath caught into the back of his throat as he came. Amir gleefully drank every drop. Ryou’s face wrinkle into a cute knot as his orgasm wracked his whole body. Amir pulled away, humming in satisfaction after licking his lips. 

“Get up,” Ryou said. 

Ryou still had his fingers woven into Amir’s locks. He pulled Amir to his feet, spun him around, and shoved him face first onto the table. Amir purred at Ryou’s aggressive play. He’d landed right in the center of the table, so he managed to avoid their plates and cups from breakfast. He heard Ryou scoot the chair closer to the table again. Ryou’s tugged the waistband of Amir’s sweatpants down. 

“Should I flip around?” Amir asked, expecting a blow job. 

“I have you where I want you, my prince.” Ryou gave a final tug to Amir’s pants before dropping them to the floor. 

Amir glanced over his shoulder. Ryou rested one knee on the chair. He grabbed Amir’s ass and parted his cheeks. Amir gripped the opposite edge of the table, feeling exposed as cold air rushed down the crack of his ass, but Ryou’s warm, wet tongue replaced the chill and sent bolts of lightning up Amir’s spine. 

“Oh fuck yes!” Amir screamed into the table and Ryou’s tongue whirlpooled around the circumference of Amir’s asshole. 

Amir hitched forward, wanting friction against his cock as Ryou’s tongue worked around his entrance. He shifted one knee up on top of the table, but it wasn’t comfortable, so he pulled himself all the way up so that both hands and knees were braced against the table top. Once settled, Amir shoved his ass backwards. Ryou buried his face between Amir’s cheeks and lapped at the tender skin. Amir’s nails raked against the wooden surface of the table and he clenched his jaw. 

He wanted to call out words, but only growls and hums of enjoyment would leave his mouth. Ryou didn’t seem to mind as he eased his scarred hand up and down Amir’s ass while using the right hand to steady Amir enough for Ryou to keep licking. Amir rested his cheek against the table top. His mind was hazy and relaxed as he body thrummed from all the sensitive nerves around his asshole being stimulated. He noted the cooking herbs growing in small pots, and the color of the paint on the walls, and the empty orange juice glass near his face, but none of these things were important to him. They merely existed in the space around him as the pleasure condensed right in the pit of his belly. Amir reached for his cock— 

And Ryou slapped his hand away so he couldn’t touch himself. 

Amir grinned. Ryou’s playful tap against his hand made his belly shiver. When he had the Rod, no one would have dared stop Amir from doing much of anything—they were too afraid. But Ryou knew he was unofficially in control at that moment and used that to his advantage. The warm, sensuous licks from Ryou’s mouth kept Amir dizzy with want, and he was more than happy to play docile and rest his hand back on the table while Ryou continued to lick him. 

For a time, but after another few minutes the yearning at the base of Amir’s cock was too much. He wanted to come. He wanted to come, and a few strokes would be all it’d take to shudder and come undone across the table top. Amir reach for his cock a second time— 

And for the second time, Ryou smacked his hand away. 

Amir’s hand stung at the force of Ryou’s slap. He growled, but he wasn’t sure if he were growling because he was frustrated or because Ryou’s conviction was turning him on even more. Amir slammed backward, shoving his ass against Ryou’s mouth. Ryou slipped his tongue inside Amir’s hole, wiggling it as Amir kept circling his hips. The little extra stimulation was enough to distract for another minute, but now his dick was throbbing from want, and almost felt like he’d come with or without stroking. He was _so close_ , so horribly close. He kept imagining Ryou reaching between his legs. He kept imaging Ryou’s smooth fingers, or the rough patch of scar on his hand. He was so close and he needed Ryou’s touch. 

“Ryou!” 

Ryou hummed in response, and the vibrations made Amir call out. He was circling his hips back in quick, ragged sweeps— _wanting, wanting, wanting, wanting—_

He dashed his hand toward his cock, not caring if Ryou slapped him away or not, but Ryou grabbed his wrist and swung Amir’s arm behind his back. It had been so quick and decisive, that Amir had been taken by surprise and didn’t have the sense to simply wrestle out of Ryou’s hold. 

“Ryou!” Amir whined. 

Ryou pulled back. “Sit in the chair. Do _not_ touch yourself.” 

Amir blinked at the instructions, frustrated that Ryou’s tongue was no longer darting in and out of his body. He crawled off the table, realizing Ryou had left the kitchen. Amir sat in the chair, squirming in place to resist the urge to grab his cock. And what could Ryou do about it if he did grab himself? He’d be done by the time Ryou returned, but Amir was curious about what Ryou had in mind, so he sat in place, and suffered until Ryou came back. 

“Where did you—”

Ryou didn’t give him time to finish the question. He pressed their mouths together, ripped at Amir’s hair, and straddled across his lap. Only _then_ did Ryou hold his cock, and Amir screamed, though Ryou was only holding it steady. 

Ryou sank down, and Amir’s screams turned deep and needful. The tight squeeze of Ryou’s ass was almost too much. Amir kicked at the tiled floor and hunched his shoulders forward as Ryou’s weight bore down on him. Ryou was slick, and Amir realized he’d gone to get lube and prep himself. Ryou gasped for breath as he sat fully into Amir’s lap and adjusted to his girth. He gave Amir a hazy smile. 

“I wanted to fuck you, but I’ve already came, so…” Ryou nudged up and sank down, starting to ride Amir’s cock as he sat in Amir’s lap. “Decided on this instead.” 

“Fuck yes, Ryou!” Amir gripped Ryou’s hips as Ryou bounced on his lap. 

Ryou curled his face in the crook of Amir’s neck. He pressed his feet against the floor to give himself more leverage, and Amir’s mouth hung low as he whimpered. Again, again, again, and again, Ryou raised up and lowered down. Each shift of Ryou’s hips shocked Amir’s system and spiraled electricity through his nerves. It was exactly what he’d wanted. It’s what he’d _needed_. And now it was all around him, and Amir couldn’t wait a second longer. Amir’s heartbeat rioted in his ears. He came so hard tears welled in the corners of his shut eyes, and after it was over her could only sling his arms around Ryou’s body and lean into him. 

“Sorry, you need another shower now.” Ryou kissed the side of his face. 

Amir ran his fingers up and down Ryou’s spine. “So do you. Why don’t you join me?” 


	13. Chapter 13

Ryou watched Amir pace in front of the oven as he waited on the timer to chime. 

“We could just order take out if it doesn’t turn out,” Ryou said in an attempt to assuage Amir’s nerves.

“I said I’d cook.”

“No one expects you to.”

“That’s not the point.” 

“It’s okay.” Ryou wrapped his arms around Amir to get him to stop pacing. He released a nervous chuckle and returned Ryou’s hug. The doorbell rang, and Ryou left to go answer the door. 

“I brought some bottles of soda.” Mai walked in and passed over a paper bag to Ryou. 

“Thanks. I’ll go put it in the fridge to chill.” Ryou trotted back into the kitchen. He noticed Amir putting the second pizza in the oven. “So? How did the first one turn out?” 

“Look!” Amir grinned. 

“It looks better than the picture.” Ryou kissed Amir’s cheek. 

“So was that everyone at the door?”

“Just Mai. The others should be arriving at any moment.”

“I’m going to stay here until this is done.” 

“Okay.” Ryou chuckled, admiring how cute Amir looked when he was nervous. He stole a few more kisses and returned to the living room. 

“Your place is in much better shape this time.” Mai sat on the couch, looking around. 

“Oh, yeah.” Ryou laughed, feeling his face go red. “In this house, we take our games of hide & seek pretty seriously.”

The doorbell rang again and Ryou opened the door. It was Honda, Anzu, Jonouchi, and Yugi all in a group. Each of them held bags, except Anzu who held a springform pan. Yugi also carried a metal briefcase. 

“We bought pretzels and chips!” Jonouchi marched in before getting invited. He and Yugi arranged three different bags on top of the coffee table. 

“Here are some paper plates.” Honda passed a bag of plates over to Ryou. 

“Oh, thank you. These will be useful, actually.”

“It smells amazing in here.” Yugi patted his belly in anticipation. 

“I know. I can’t wait to eat.” Ryou sucked in a deep breath. 

“Hey, Ryou, could I put this in the kitchen?” Anzu asked. 

“Sure, Anzu. What is it?”

“It’s a soufflé style cheesecake.”

“Oh wow. I bet it’s delicious.” Ryou tried to peek beneath the cloth covering the dessert, but Anzu pulled the pan away. 

“Oh no you don’t, Ryou Bakura. I know how much you like sweets. You have to wait until after dinner.” 

“I wasn’t going to _taste_ it. I just wanted to look at it.” 

“Ha, it’s nice to see Ryou getting a lecture for a change. It’s usually us.” Honda sat down on the other end of the sofa. 

Yugi and Jonouchi squashed between him and Mai, while Ryou lead Anzu to the kitchen. Inside the kitchen, Amir continued to pace. Anzu gave him a sympathetic look. 

“We heard you weren’t feeling very well. Hopefully this helps cheer you up.”

“Thanks.” Amir picked at his oven mitts, still nervous as the pizza cooked. 

“Do you need any help?” she asked. 

Amir shook his head no. 

“Are you sure? I don’t mind.”

“Come on, Anzu. He’s got this.” Ryou tapped Anzu’s elbow, encouraging her to go to the living room. 

Anzu sat on one of Ryou’s armchairs, and Ryou dropped down on his beanbag chair near the TV. Jonouchi flashed Yugi a grin and pulled his cards out of his pocket. 

“Yeah, of course we can play.” Yugi laughed at the unspoken question. 

Ryou watched as Yugi managed to beat Jonouchi, but it was a close game. Ryou had to admired how small the gap had gotten between their two skill levels. Mai played Yugi next, and it was a similar outcome. Before Jonouchi could challenge Mai to a game, Amir appeared wearing two oven mitts and holding a pizza with each one. 

“Oh hell yeah, food!” Jonouchi and Honda hi-fived over Yugi’s head. 

Ryou grabbed plates and cups. Anzu poured them drinks, and Amir cut the pizzas into slices before sitting next to Ryou. Everyone grew silent as they took their first bites. Yugi was the first one to break the silence. 

“This tastes awesome!” 

“Ryou, how have you not gained 60 kilos since dating him?” Mai rolled her eyes a little at how good the pizza tasted. 

“I’ve gained 7, actually.” Ryou laughed. 

“Good. You were always a little too skinny.” Anzu shook her head. 

“There’s one more in the kitchen,” Amir said. 

“I’m glad, because these first two aren’t going to last.” Jonouchi shoved a bite into his mouth large enough to choke anyone else. 

“So what happened at Death-T?” Yugi frowned, concerned. “Seto didn’t go on another killing spree again, did he?” 

“I’m sorry, Yugi, did you just say _another?_ ” Ryou dropped his half-eaten slice onto his plate and gave Yugi a shocked look. 

“Whoa, I never heard about this.” Mai gave them a surprised look. 

Yugi blushed. “Well, I mean, technically the last one was more of an attempted killing spree? Since none of _us_ actually died.” 

“Forgive me, I might be reading too much into what you’re saying, but are you implying that others died? During Death-T? When was this? Was the Spirit in control?” Ryou's mouth dropped in shock.

“This was before you moved to Domino,” Honda explained. 

“Yeah, stupid Kaiba created Death-T just to kill Yugi.” Jonouchi snorted, snapping into his pizza again. 

“Yeah, good thing Anzu accidentally got hired on as one of the staff. If it wasn’t for her laser gun- we wouldn’t have made it past the first round!” Yugi smiled at Anzu. 

“I may have had the working gun, but it was Honda’s shooting skills that really saved us that round,” Anzu said. 

“Hey! What about me? I jumped that one dude from above!” Jonouchi shouted. 

“You were great, Jonouchi.” Anzu laughed. 

“Wait!” Amir shouted. “Wait a damn minute! You _shot_ people with a _laser_ gun?” 

“Well, I adjusted the stun setting so they wouldn’t die.” Honda scratched the back of his head. 

“Oh… yeah, that sounds like something you guys would do.” Amir went back to eating. 

“Yeah, it was Johji that killed the butler during the electric chair ride.” 

Amir started choking. Ryou cupped his hand and smacked Amir on his back. Honda got up and handed Amir a half empty bottle of soda to chug. 

“Are you okay?” Anzu asked. 

“ _Who_ killed _who_?” Amir shouted between coughs. 

“Johji’s my nephew,” Honda said. 

“He did it to save Anzu!” Yugi added. 

“Holy shit, you guys. Does everything with you turn into a death game?” Mai shook her head and drank from her cup. 

“Sometimes?” Yugi splayed out his hands in an helpless gesture. 

“How’d he die?” Ryou asked. 

“Well, we were locked in, and the chairs had microphones strapped to our helmets,” Honda began. 

“And the first person to scream would be electrocuted.” Anzu hid her hands in her face. “I remembered being terrified. I wasn’t able to keep quiet one more minute. I almost screamed.” 

“Oh dear, I would have died. I was laughing so hard during the entire ride, right until Amir got sick.” Ryou chuckled from the memory of how much he’d laughed at all the ride’s pathetic attempts at being scary. 

“We weren’t laughing. We were freaked out, but Honda’s nephew was only a toddler at the time, so he was sitting in Anzu’s lap and was able to crawl over to Seto’s henchman and, uh…” Yugi blushed a deeper shade of red.

“Well, don’t just leave the story half finished.” Mai waved her hand to gesture that Yugi should continue. 

“It’s not really a dinner friendly story.” Yugi toyed with the edge of his paper plate. 

“Says you. Pizza and murder? This is the best dinner ever.” Amir leaned as close to the coffee table as he could, eyes wide in suspense as he listened. 

“I’m also curious. Please continue,” Ryou said. 

“Well, it’s not that. It’s just—”

“Johji took a dump on the old geezer!” Jonouchi laughed. “It smelled so bad, the guy cried out and fried in his seat.” 

“Which was _awful_.” Anzu shook her head. 

“I’m never going anywhere with you guys again. _Ever_.” Mai shook her head. 

“Hey, Kaiba started it.” Jonouchi scowled. 

“Yeah, so don’t feel bad about throwing up on the ride, because Jonouchi passed out completely.” Honda grinned. “It saved his life, because he definitely would have screamed otherwise.” 

“Ugh, and then there was the murderer’s mansion. I had to set that guy on fire—”

“What!” Amir tossed his plate down and stood up. “Shut the fuck up! You did not, Jonouchi!” 

“Atem helped.” Jonouchi shrugged, looking abashed. 

“That’s… that’s so fucking cool! When were you so fucking cool? You should have said something when we first met. We could have set Kaiba’s whole blimp on fire during Battle City!” 

“No, it wasn’t cool at all! It was horrible! Jonouchi, tell him!” Anzu shouted, glaring at Jonouchi. 

“I mean, it was fucked up, dude. We’re laughing about it now cuz, like whaddaya gonna do, right? But like… I have nightmares sometimes,” Jonouchi confessed. 

“Me too.” Honda nodded. 

“I… don’t even remember the last bit. Um, Atem kinda took over completely when I first put the Puzzle together. It wasn’t until Pegasus’ Island that we learned to cooperate at the same time.” 

“Wait.” Now it was Ryou’s turn to interrupt. “You used to black out with Atem? Like I did with the Ring Spirit?” 

“Y-yeah…” 

“I wish I would have known.” Ryou frowned. 

“What difference would that have made? Your spirit was creepy!” Jonouchi chugged the last of his soda. 

“I don’t expect you to understand.” Ryou sighed. “But it would have been nice to have known.” 

Amir rested his hand on the small of Ryou’s back, sitting beside him again. Ryou leaned his head onto Amir’s shoulder, trying not to think too much about the trouble he always had communicating with the Ring Spirit. Amir combed Ryou’s hair, but spoke to the others. 

“So, uh… when something makes you remember things… from before. Like, a sound or… or a smell… do you feel… a little wrong? In a vague sort of way? Not exactly sad but—”

“Tired?” Anzu suggested. 

“Kinda spacey?” Honda added. 

“Sick to my stomach.” Jonouchi leaned into the couch cushions, holding his belly. 

“I just try not the think about it.” Yugi ate his crust so he didn’t have to say anything else. 

“Fuck all that. I’ve been seeing a therapist for years.” Mai shook her head. 

“Oh…so you all feel the same...” Amir watched each of them. He started sniffing. 

“Amir?” Ryou squeezed him in his arms, petting his hair instead of the other way around. “What’s wrong?” 

“Oh don’t cry. You’ll get me started.” Anzu wiped at her cheeks. 

“I’m so relieved.” Amir sobbed, speaking in a rush between his tear-hitched breathing. “The ride made me sick, and then I couldn’t stop thinking about _that day_. When I was created, but now I feel bad about it. I feel bad about everything. And I thought something might be wrong with me.” 

“Nothing’s wrong with you. It’s okay. You’ve been through a lot, too.” Anzu pulled tissue out of her purse. She kept some for herself and passed a few sheets over to Amir. 

“Hey, let’s not cry.” Yugi rubbed at his own eyes. “I brought the new game I’m working on. Anyone want to give it a try?”

“Of course,” Honda said, perhaps too quickly. 

“Hell yeah. Let’s see what this game can do!” Jonouchi cheered. 

“Okay. We can set it up on the coffee table.” Yugi pulled up his briefcase and laid it down on top of the table. 

“Wait, let me move our teacup.” Amir set his tissue down and picked up the gold-veined cup from the center of the table. 

“Oh yeah, you finished it. It looks beautiful.” Mai admired the way the gold snaked along the porcelain of the cup. 

“I love how it turned out.” Ryou smiled. 

Amir returned the grin. “Yeah, I just wish we knew a tattoo artist.” 

“You want a tattoo? After what happened to your back?” Jonouchi asked. 

“This is different. This one will be my choice.” Amir held the cup to his heart. “Ryou and I want matching kintsugi cups since this represents both of us.”

“Oh Ryou, you don’t want a tattoo.” Anzu shook her head. 

“Actually, I think they’re lovely,” Ryou answered. 

“But what would people say?” 

“I wear long sleeved shirts all the time anyway. I doubt anyone would ever see it.” Ryou smiled. Mai gave him _a look_ , and he realized he might have gave himself away, but he didn’t mind if Mai knew, as long as the other’s didn’t figure it out. 

“I know a guy,” Jonouchi said. 

“A tattoo artist?” Amir asked. 

“Yeah. He did the tattoos for the gang I used to run in.”

“You were in a gang too?” Amir asked. 

“Nothing as fancy as the Ghouls.” Jonouchi laughed. 

“Jonouchi, quit being such a bad influence on Amir! He’s trying to be reformed now,” Anzu scolded. 

“I can’t help it!”

“Actually, Jonouchi is the perfect role model for him,” Honda said. “He used to get into all kinds of trouble, but look at how good he is now?” 

“Yeah, Jonouchi, we’re all so proud of you.” Yugi gave him a quick squeeze before letting go and opening up his suitcase. 

“Geez, guys, cut it out. You’re embarrassing me. Isn’t there more pizza? I think I’m ready for round two.”

“Yeah, I’ll go get it while Yugi sets up the game.” Amir carried his teacup into the kitchen.

“And don’t forget the cheesecake.” Ryou grinned. 

“Of course. I’ll go cut it right now.” Anzu gathered up as much trash she could on her way. 

Ryou picked up what she couldn’t carry. “Thank you guys. I think you all coming over was a good idea.” 

“Ryou, we’re friends, of course we want to come over and play games with you,” Yugi said.

“Yes, and I appreciate the game as well, but I meant for telling us about Death-T. I could tell they were hard memories for you, but I think you made Amir feel better by sharing them.” 

***

“I received a text from Jonouchi.” Ryou help up his phone. 

“What did he say?” Amir looked up from his canvas. He was painting a picture of Dark Necrofear for Ryou. 

“We have an appointment for next Saturday. I’m so excited.” 

“Me too.” Amir set his paintbrush down so he could walk to the doorway and grab Ryou for a kiss. 

“Mmmmm… aren’t you painting?”

“I need to take a break for some of the paint to dry.” Amir said as he dropped down to Ryou’s throat. 

“Yes, well, wouldn’t want to rush art.” 

“Certainly not.” Amir tugged Ryou’s shirt up over his head before picking Ryou up and carrying him to the bedroom. 

He slammed Ryou down on the mattress and ripped off his own clothing even as Ryou pulled off his boxers. Amir lunged for Ryou, biting Ryou’s white, tender throat. 

“Amir.” Ryou arched and tugged on Amir’s spiked hair. 

“I want to chase you, but I can’t stop kissing you to bother.” 

“Use the rope.” Ryou’s words were muffled as he sucked at Amir’s nipple. 

Amir growled and pinned Ryou’s arms up over his head. He slipped his tongue into Ryou’s mouth and rutted their cocks together. Ryou whimpered. He wrapped his legs around Amir’s waist. Amir’s mouth smothered Ryou’s moans to soft, random noise. Two hanks of rope hung from the headboard from a different night. Amir tugged the crimson rope and looped it around Ryou’s left wrist. He used his fingers to measure the tightness, making sure there was enough room to keep Ryou’s circulation going, but not enough room for him to wiggle out. He did the same for Ryou’s right wrist, and both ankles until Ryou was tied spread eagle against the mattress. 

“Red looks so good against your skin.” Amir licked along the rope binding Ryou’s left ankle. 

“The blindfold as well, please.” 

“This blindfold?” Amir reached over and pulled the red, silk scarf from the headboard. He drew it across his throat, allowing the silk to tumble down like blood. 

“Yes, please. That blindfold.”

“I don’t know…” Amir teased the scarf across his chest. He ran his lips down the length and then tickled the end over Ryou’s stomach. “Do you deserve this blindfold?” 

“Yes I do,” Ryou said without hesitation. 

Ryou’s confidence convinced Amir, and he wrapped the blindfold around Ryou’s eyes. Amir pulled free any trapped locks of hair and ran his fingers down Ryou’s cheeks. 

“You look so helpless,” he growled against Ryou’s ear. 

“Would you like to play the cutting game?” Ryou smile. 

“Hmmm.... would I?” Amir asked as he pulled his fingers lower down Ryou’s body, drawing figure 8’s against Ryou’s sternum. 

“I would. May we play?”

Amir stole a kiss and then grabbed lube and a folded fan from their nightstand. He set the lube next to Ryou’s body and held the fan over Ryou’s chest. He decided the first answer would be rabbit before he asked out loud. 

“Fox or rabbit?”

“Fox,” Ryou said. 

Amir dug the side of the fan below Ryou’s left breast to cut him. It wasn’t a real cut. It was only by virtue of Ryou’s sensitive, ivory white skin that the wood and paper fan managed to even draw a red line to show where it’d been, and even that faded after only a moment. Nevertheless, Ryou flinched at the unexpected sensation. Amir grinned and dragged the fan down Ryou’s body like he were performing an autopsy on his corpse. He wondered what Ryou would choose next. Probably rabbit, so Amir decided the answer would be fox. 

“Fox… or rabbit…” 

“Rabbit.”

Amir clucked his tongue against the roof of his mouth. He “cut” into ryou again, up and down his thighs. Ryou’s cock swelled from the anticipation, but Amir ignored it. Perhaps rabbit again. 

“Fox or rabbit, my sweet?”

“Rabbit.” 

Amir leaned down, hovering his mouth just out of reach of Ryou’s cock. He blew on the tip for a moment and then answered.

“Correct.” 

Amir licked up Ryou’s shaft. The half hard member grew, and by the third lick, it lay erect against Ryou’s stomach. Amir sucked on the tip for a moment. He was too absorbed with Ryou’s body, how he tasted, the way his breathing quickened. He didn’t care about the animal, and just decided to choose rabbit each time to see how the game would play out. He took Ryou deeper into his mouth and sucked unti Ryou struggled against his binds. 

Amir pulled away. “Fox or-”

“Fox!” Ryou screamed. 

His hips hitched up, the only thing his could move while tied. He wanted Amir’s mouth back on him, but he’d guessed incorrectly, so Amir drew the fan across Ryou’s throat. 

“That’s three, you’re dead, and that means I win the game.” 

Ryou groaned and squirmed against the ropes. 

“Ryou?” Amir asked, needing to check up on him to make sure the ropes weren’t uncomfortable. 

“Still good, I just… really wanted that to last a little longer.” Ryou’s cheeks burned the same red as the rope and blindfold. “Untie me, and I’ll—”

“Who said anything about untying you?” Amir laughed. 

“But you won. I need untied so I can take you.”

“Yes, but I want you to fuck me like you are.” 

“How can I when I’m tied up?” Ryou asked. 

Amir grabbed the lube. He soaked Ryou’s dick and hovered above it in a crouch. Amir gave his nerves a moment to register the touch of Ryou’s hot tip against his flesh. Amir relaxed his body, applying just a hint of weight and coercing a moan from Ryou’s lips. 

“Oh yes, please. Amir. Please ride me.” 

At Ryou’s polite command, Amir sank a portion of his weight down onto Ryou’s cock. He inhaled, rose a few centimeters, and then dropped lower than the first time. Ryou arched his back. His mouth was a wide O. The third time, Amir sank until his rested his full weight against Ryou’s body. Amir eased forward then back, lifting up and sinking down with small circles of his hips. He breathed through his mouth, keeping his eyes closed as he adjusted to Ryou’s cock inside him. 

He watched the way Ryou curved upward. His fringe draped across his blindfold. Amir brushed it away and teased the outline of Ryou’s lips with his left hand. His right hand grabbed his own cock and he pulled up and slammed his fist down. Ryou shoved his hips into the air, thrusting into Amir’s ass as Amir continued to circle. He knew Ryou wouldn’t last long, so he stroked himself fast and allowed his pleasure to climb until his body felt hot all over from both effort and arousal. 

Although Amir would never turn down the chance to fuck Ryou, Amir loved when he won their erotic games and got to savor the contentment of having Ryou stuffed all the way inside him. He rolled his hips, moaning and panting as his muscles tightened, anticipating the rush of orgasm and the release that followed. Ryou’s groans grew loud and desperate, so Amir slowed down his hips to draw the moment out as long as he could manage. 

“Amir,” Ryou whined when he slowed down. 

Amir grunted, too close himself to speak. He pulled up until only Ryou’s tip stayed inserted but continued to stroke himself. 

“Amir… please. Amir please!”

“Please _what_?” Amir closed his eyes. He felt like the sun was bursting inside him. He held his breath, knowing he couldn’t wait any longer. The need to finish was too great, his desire too strong. 

“Please let me come inside you,” Ryou wailed, yanking the ropes as hard as he could and trying to spike his hips up toward Amir’s body. 

Amir dropped down, impaling himself onto Ryou’s cock and coming over Ryou’s stomach. He rose and fell a few times, gradual and slow as he rode out the aftershocks. Then, before he could even catch his breath, he bounced up and down quicker than before. 

“Oh yes. Yes. Yes. Yesyesyesyesyesyes—”

Ryou’s voice began sultry, rose to a frantic pitch as he came. Afterward, Ryou’s arms hung loose against the ropes and his ribs rose and fell in rapid bursts. 

“So good…” Amir panted. 

He slipped off of Ryou and untied the ropes around his wrists and ankles. Ryou pulled off his blindfold and Amir rubbed aloe gel into the rope memories imprinted in Ryou’s skin from too much tugging. Ryou leaned against Amir’s shoulder as Amir massaged Ryou’s wrists. He lids hung low over his velvety brown eyes and his body felt heavy against Amir’s side. 

“Why don’t we take a nap before I finish the painting?” Amir switched out wrists. 

“Sounds good. Oh.” Ryou sat up and stole the bottle from Amir’s hands. “Lay on your stomach.”

Amir didn’t understand at first, but then Ryou smoothed the cool gel over Amir’s scars. He moaned Ryou’s name, closed his eyes, and allowed Ryou to massage him until he fell into a deep, peaceful sleep. 


	14. Chapter 14

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> In this chapter we have unrealistic representation of organized crime/Japanese tattoo parlors/and how easy it is to get a job
> 
> Also, top notch wedding vows. Enjoy~

Ryou rubbed Amir’s shoulder as they rode the bus. Amir sat with his sketch pad pressed against his chest. He stared out the window as he always did while riding on the bus. 

“Where should I put mine?” Ryou asked to distract Amir from his motion sickness. 

“Between your ribs and the dragon’s scales, near your pelvis. That will be a good place to kiss, and I plan to kiss this tattoo every chance I can.”

Ryou beamed at the thought of Amir kissing his tattoo after he got it. “This is exciting, getting matching tattoos. I feel a little bit like we’re getting married.” 

“Rings are overrated, don’t you think? You didn’t have very good luck with the last one” Amir grinned. “Permanent art is a better symbol since it’s for the rest of our lives.” 

“I’ve definitely had my fill of rings.” Ryou laughed. 

“Well then?” Amir laced his and Ryou’s fingers together, balancing the artbook in his lap.

“Amir, you can’t ask questions like this on the back of a bus.” Ryou felt his face glowing and red. 

“You brought it up.” 

“I did, didn’t I?” Ryou continued laughing. His happiness boiled inside him like neon-green brew in a cheesy horror house cauldron. “Okay! They’ll be our marriage tattoos.”

“Do we need to say anything to make it official?”

“We can write something for each other later tonight. Ahhh! Amir, I’m so happy!”

“Me too!” 

They laughed together until the bus stopped and then they rushed down the street. Ryou pulled a folded piece of paper from his pocket and checked the address Jonouchi gave them over the phone. Before they found the right building, they saw Jonouchi leaning against a brick wall with his hands shoved in his pocket. Nothing distinguished the building from any of the others on the street, and Ryou wouldn’t have given it a second glance if the number over the door didn’t match the one on his paper. 

“Hello, Jonouchi. It was nice of you to meet us here, but we’re fine on our own,” Ryou said. 

“I don’t think you get it, Ryou. Old man Shigeru isn’t going to let just anyone waltz in and ask for some ink. I need to vouch for you.” 

“Thanks,” Amir said, still glowing from his and Ryou’s conversation on the bus. 

Ryou wanted to stay excited with him, but his heart sank a little at the realization that Jonouchi was going to be with them. Letting Jonouchi see Ryou’s tattoos was the same as telling Yugi about them, and Ryou wasn’t ready to any of them. 

“Oh, yes, I understand. Thank you. I suppose you’ll need to introduce us, but please don’t wait the entire time, Jonouchi. I’d hate to inconvenience you.” 

“No problem, Ryou. What are friends for? I already planned to stay. Besides, it would be rude to dump you with Shigeru and leave. He’d feel insulted, and these _are not_ the people you wanna insult, know what I mean?” 

Ryou nodded his head, hugging himself. “Okay… well, then, uh… please don’t tell Yugi when you see—”

“I tell Yugi everything,” Jonouchi interrupted, but then he narrowed his gaze. “When I see what?” 

“If you would please let me finish. I’m asking you not to tell Yugi until I at least get the chance to do it myself. He’s not going to be happy, but I’d rather him hear it from me and not someone else.”

“Hear _what_ , Ryou?” 

Ryou sighed and rolled up his sleeve enough for Jonouchi to see a splash of color. 

Jonouchi wore a small frown as he stared at Ryou’s arm. “We noticed you started wearing long sleeves all the time. Yugi thought you were hiding your scars.”

“That’s not wholly wrong. The tattoos help hide the scars.” 

“Ryou’s tattoos are beautiful,” Amir said in a tone that suggested no one should argue. 

“Look, I’ll keep my mouth shut until this new one heals, all right? But afterward, you have to tell Yugi, _or I will_.”

“I’ll set up a slumber party.” Ryou sighed. “I won’t wear socks or sleeves.” 

“It’s going to be fine, Ryou. No one is going to change their mind about you being their friend because of a few flowers on your arms.” Jonouchi shook his head. 

“There are a few more than that, but thank you.” Ryou bowed. 

“Come on. We better not keep Shigeru waiting. He’s pretty strict.” Jonouchi punched Ryou’s and then Amir’s shoulders before herding them into the building. 

The inside was a lobby, the kind one could find in any dentist’s office. Jonouchi urged them forward. They walked through a door and down a long hallway until they reached another lobby. This one had portfolio books sitting on the table instead of fashion magazines, and the artwork on the walls were all hand-drawn. 

“Wow,” Amir whispered as he admired the koi, dragons, and geishas lining the walls. 

Jonouchi walked up to the receptionist and winked. “We had an appointment.”

“Have a seat. I’ll let him know you’ve arrived.” The girl behind the desk bowed and disappeared into the back room. 

“Nervous?” Jonouchi asked after they’d sat down a moment. 

“Excited,” Ryou answered. 

“This can’t possibly hurt compared to my initiation… anyway.” Amir grabbed one of the portfolios to distract himself. 

“Yeah. Sorry.” Jonouchi flipped through the books in front of them as well. 

A voice spoke from across the table. “‘Kay, I’m all set up.”

They lifted their heads and saw a guy roughly their age with spiky, black hair and gauges in his ear. 

“Who the hell are you?” Jonouchi scowled. 

“Name’s Yuuto. I’m going to do your ink.”

“Like hell you are. Where’s Old Man Shigeru?”

“You didn’t hear?” Yuuto gave them an uncomfortable look. “He died.” 

“What? That’s impossible. I just called him on the phone last week!” Jonouchi jumped to his feet. 

“His funeral was yesterday. I’ve taken over for him.” 

“Damn…” Jonouchi dropped back to the couch and stared at his knees, refusing to look at anything else. 

“I’m sorry, Jonouchi.” Ryou squeezed Jonouchi’s shoulder. “We can leave.”

“No… it’s fine. I’m not surprised. It’s just… so weird. I talked to him days ago.” Jonouchi stood up and shook his head. 

“Are you sure you want to stay?” Ryou asked.

“Yeah, it’s fine. Really. No point in rescheduling. It’s not like Shigeru is coming back, so let’s do this. Who’s going first?” 

“I am.” Amir grinned. He held out the sketchbook. “We both want this. I want mine in the center of my chest.” 

“Hop on the seat.” 

Amir flung off his shirt and sat down on the reclining leather chair. Before he could get comfortable, Yuuto sat him back up so he could stare at Amir’s back. 

“Whoa, whoa, whoa. That’s not a tattoo.”

“No. It’s not.” Amir clenched his teeth.

“Who did it?”

“Someone’s who’s dead now,” Amir snapped. 

“Okay. That topic is off limits. Gotcha,” Yuuto said.

Ryou reminded himself that Yuuto probably worked with criminals daily, and to him, people like Amir—angry and full of secrets—were par for the course. The tattoo artist didn’t look phased in the slightest as he drew line art of Amir’s design on tracing paper and then copied it over to Amir’s broad chest. 

“Okay. See how that looks in the mirror. If you want something changed, tell me now.” 

Amir walked over to the body length mirror on the wall. He touched his skin near the design with his fingertips before nodding his head. “This is good.” 

“Great. Lay back down and we’ll get started. Do you want the same colors as the painting?” 

“Yes.” Amir sat back in a comfortable position and relaxed into the leather. 

Yuuto set up small thimble sized cups of colored ink and showed Amir the needles still in their packaging before removing them and setting up. He bathed Amir’s chest with an antiseptic and then started outlining the tracing with black ink. The tattoo gun hummed loudly in the room. Jonouchi played with his phone, ignoring the process, but Ryou watched in fascination. Amir closed his eyes. Ryou smiled at how relaxed he looked even with the needles poking into his skin. 

“So is this your design?” Yuuto asked. 

“Yeah, I painted it last week when we made the appointment.” 

“It’s good. Have you ever thought of doing tattoos?” 

“Don’t you need a medical license to tattoo in Japan?” Ryou asked, knowing that was something Amir wouldn’t be able to get without the proper work visa—which he didn’t have for obvious reasons. 

“Not here you don’t. Here you just have to be good, and not the type to scare easily.” Yuuto gave Amir a glance. “And you don’t look like the type that gets frightened about anything.” 

“Not really,” Amir said. 

“So? Interested?” 

“You’re just going to… hire me?”

“Not exactly. I’d need some proof that you’d do good work to show to my boss.”

“What kind of proof?” Amir asked, suspicious. 

“A picture of a tattoo you did.”

“But I’ve never tattooed anyone before.”

“Yeah, but he’s going to get this same design, right?” Yuuto gestured toward Ryou. “You can do his and we’ll take a picture comparing it to mine, and see what the boss says.” 

“I thought artist got selected _in house_.” Jonouchi narrowed his eyes at Yuuto. 

“Usually.” Yuuto wiped around the area he was working on before adding more ink and starting the next section. “But our waiting list is long, and everyone that’s come here on a recommendation so far has the kind of linework that’ll get a finger chopped off. At least this guy has clean lines and good shading.” 

“I don’t know if this is a good idea—”

Ryou interrupted Jonouchi and bowed. “Amir, I would be honored if you did my tattoo.” 

“Ryou, are you sure?” Amir studied Ryou’s face. 

“You don’t have to if you don’t want the job, but I’m completely confident in your skills and would love it if you were the one to do this one specifically.” Ryou’s face flushed as he remembered their conversation about marriage tattoos. 

Amir grinned, understanding. “Okay. I’ll do it.” 

Amir no longer relaxed into the seat. He watched Yuuto as he moved, sometimes looking down and sometimes looking in the mirror. Jonouchi grabbed Ryou’s arm and pulled him a little closer.

“Ryou, I don’t think this is a good idea. Some nasty people come in here.” 

“He basically ran the Ghouls when he was younger, I don’t see how anyone in Domino can be worse than Malik.” 

“Shouldn’t really encourage him to get back into the lifestyle.” 

“He’s going to become a tattoo artist, not a hit man,” Ryou said. “They’re utterly different professions.” 

“It’s your business, but I think you’re crazy.” 

“How bad can they be if you’ve kept in contact with the last tattoo artist for all these years?” Ryou paused and raised an eyebrow. “How did you know a tattoo artist anyway?” 

“No reason.” Jonouchi crossed his arms over his chest. 

“Oh really? You know, if I have to show everyone mine—you should have to show them yours.” 

“Hey, I didn’t tell you to _show_ anyone. I told you to _tell_ Yugi. Yug’s already seen mine.” 

“I bet he has.” Ryou laughed. 

Jonouchi’s cheeks dusted with pink and he buried his face behind his phone screen. 

After Yuuto finished with the black outline and basic shading, he wiped everything down again and began filling in the colors—dark green, pale jade, white, and gold. After the last of the ink was stabbed into Amir’s skin, Yuuto washed him down again, covered the area with ointment, and pointed to the mirror. 

“Take a look.”

Amir jumped up and rushed to the mirror, grinning like a fiend when he saw the finished work. 

“Good eh?” Yuuto asked. 

Amir nodded. 

“It’s gorgeous,” Ryou added. 

“Come back here so I can bandage you up.” Yuuto spoke while he dressed the open wound. He explained the basic aftercare instructions which Ryou knew well by this point. Finished, he added. “Now here’s the tricky part. You can’t scrunch up your chest while you do the second tattoo. If you tug at it too much, it might not heal well.” 

“Why didn’t you let him work on Ryou’s before finishing his then?” Jonouchi frowned. 

“To see how good he really is. You know I can’t let anyone work here. Especially with him being a foreigner. We have to prove he’s right for the job.” 

“Don’t worry. I don’t mind the challenge.” Amir laughed, a bit of his old, maniacal laugh sounded in the noise. Something about that fact made Ryou smile. 

He waited for them to clean up the work station. Yuuto showed Amir where all the supplies were. Amir arranged the ink, put on gloves, and showed Ryou the packages of fresh needles just as Yuuto had done for him. Ryou nodded and unfastened his pants so he could pull them down a few centimeters to expose the right area of his body. He also had to pull up his shirts, but most of him was still covered. He caught Jonouchi staring from his peripheral visions, but Jonouchi didn’t lecture Ryou about the dragon scales surrounding his hips, and Ryou was grateful. 

Amir sketched the bowl on tracing paper and placed it where they had already discussed putting Ryou’s tattoo. Ryou glanced at it in the mirror and nodded, sitting back down so they could get started. He was excited. Ryou always got butterflies in his belly before another tattoo and it had been far too long since his last one. Yuuto demonstrated how to turn on the tattoo gun and then Amir went to work. Ryou forced himself not to wince at the first prick of needles into his skin. It was never pleasant—getting a tattoo—but neither was it unbearable, and a few hours of discomfort were well worth the years of happiness Ryou would have every time he looked at the artwork on his skin. 

“How are you doing?” Amir asked. 

“This isn’t half as bad as afterward when they start to itch. I can’t stand being itchy.” Ryou smiled. 

“If you need a break. Let me know.”

“I will, thank you.” Ryou spoke out of politeness, but he wouldn’t need a break. This was a small, single-session tattoo. The needles pinched at his skin in an uncomfortable way, but it was nothing he hadn’t done dozen of times before and Ryou closed his eyes and let his mind wander, only paying attention when Amir asked him a questions. Occasionally Amir would wash off the excess ink and wipe at Ryou’s skin and the sensation felt cool and heavenly compared to the heat of the needles. The longer he worked, the more Ryou’s skin stung, and he felt raw by the time Amir got to the coloring, but then it was over and Amir was smearing ointment onto Ryou’s skin and Ryou was admiring his handy work in the mirror. 

“It’s gorgeous. It’s my favorite one so far.” Ryou forced himself not to tear up. He didn’t want to embarass himself in front of Yuuto, who was a stranger. 

“Damn, he really did do a good job,” Jonouchi admitted.

They took a picture and gave Yuuto Ryou’s cell phone number so he could contact Amir after he heard from his boss. Then they bandaged Ryou up and he nodded politely at the aftercare instructions, although he wasn’t paying attention to them. 

“You got all that?” Yuuto asked. 

“Yes. Thank you.” Ryou nodded again and then stood up. 

They went to the receptionist, settled the bill, and then Jonouchi walked them to the bus stop. Amir laughed as they walked down the street. His complexion shone as he babbled about what both giving and receiving a tattoo felt like. 

“And I might actually get a job. I won’t have to freeload off of Ryou anymore.”

“You aren’t a freeloader. You do plenty around the house,” Ryou said. 

“But now I can pay to fix the window I broke.”

“We had wondered about that,” Jonouchi said, but didn’t linger on the topic. 

“And I’ll get to make art on people’s bodies. They’re literally going to pay me to stab them with needles, and I don’t even have to feel bad because they’ll be happy about it. And this is the exact opposite of my initiation. I get to draw designs people _want_. They get to chose them for themselves instead of being forced to carry around a dead king’s memories. This is the best possible job!” 

“Just make sure you respect the old timers. They’re real traditional, and they probably won’t like you went they see you.” Jonouchi was frowning, but Ryou suspected it was because Amir had referred to Atem as _a dead king_. 

“Thanks again for setting this appointment up for us, Jonouchi.” Ryou bowed as they reached the bus stop. “We’re grateful.” 

“Sorry about the old man,” Amir said. Awkwardly, it was clear that he was saying it because he knew it should be said and not being he felt genuine sympathy, but Jonouchi nodded at him. Ryou could tell by his face that he appreciated the effort Amir made. 

“Thanks, and Ryou, make sure you tell Yugi about the ink. I mean, he knows where we are today, but he should know about the rest.”

“I will. I promise.” 

“Okay, see you guys later. Good luck on the job, man. I think you’re crazy for wanting it, but I guess you gotta do something, and you sure ain’t gonna be a professional bowler any time soon.” 

“That was hilarious. You should be a professional clown. I’m sure the circus is hiring.” Amir stuck out his tongue. 

“Ha! No thanks. Clowns give me the creeps.” Jonouchi waved goodbye as he crossed the street to get back to Yugi’s place. 

They stood and waited for the bus. Ryou already wanted to scratch at his bandages, but knew he couldn’t. The bus ride home was uncomfortable, even for Ryou who never got motion sick. Every bump pulled at his tender skin beneath the bandage, and he was happy to get home. 

“Let’s rinse these off with hot water.” Ryou pulled off both his shirts, and then his pants. 

“Yes. Strip. After all, this is our wedding night.” Amir licked his lips as he pulled off his own clothes as well. 

“Oh no. I didn’t think about that. There’s not much we can do that won’t mess up the skin while it tries to heal.” 

“Don’t worry.” Amir kissed up Ryou’s neck. “We’ll figure it out.” 

Ryou’s skin burned beneath Amir’s lips. He already had that specific high from adrenaline that always raced through him after a tattoo—and knowing it was their wedding night, and feeling the gentle way Amir’s lips kneaded against Ryou’s neck—had all of Ryou’s nerve endings singing. They were careful with their bandages, and then eased into the shower together, getting the water as hot as they could stand and letting it scour their tattoos. After they both rinsed off, Ryou patted himself dry carefully before grabbing his jar of Aquaphor and leading Amir to the bedroom. 

They sat on the bed, allowing their skin to finish air-drying and tracing their fingers along their bodies. Ryou made sure to sit so that he didn’t aggravate the tender area above his pelvis, and when they were both dry, he worked in a light layer of the ointment over Amir’s soft, tattooed skin. 

“I love you,” Ryou whispered. “And I promise I’ll love you long after maggots tear this tattoo apart, and after our bones mold away, and after the sun becomes a red giant and swallows the earth, killing everything in fire.”

He finished doctoring Amir’s skin, and Amir held his face as they kissed. When Amir finally pulled away, it was to take the jar of ointment and dab it on Ryou’s skin in the same attentive way that Ryou had done for him. Ryou lay on his back so it was easier for Amir to cover the tattoo evenly. Ryou shuddered as Amir’s fingers eased across the scabbing skin. 

“I love you,” Amir whispered. “You showed me how to sand down my sharp edges, and how to polish my roughness down with bone, and fill in the cracks with gold. Everything beautiful that we are, we are because we did it together, and I want to be with you forever. Even after we die, I want us to roam the earth as ghosts, playing pranks on the living and creating the kind of stories people whisper beside their campfires.” 

“We will.” Ryou nodded. 

Amir leaned down and his lips melted against Ryou’s. Ryou fumbled his touch down Amir’s arms as Amir slid his hands up Ryou’s legs. His thumbs drew circles around Ryou’s thighs, and Ryou hitched before remembering he needed to stay still. A small mewl escaped him as his nails pressed dimples into Amir’s forearms. Amir dragged his lips across Ryou’s chest before grabbing the lube and a few tissues. He returned and set them aside so his fingers were free to caress Ryou’s skin. 

“Can’t wait until you’re all healed up so I can kiss you all over.” Amir grinned. 

“I was thinking the exact same thing.” Ryou nodded. 

Amir poured the lube into his hand and stuffed Ryou’s hard cock in his closed fist. Ryou moaned, gripping the sheet and forcing himself not to buck. 

“It’s hot watching you restrain yourself. I can take my time to make you come.” 

“ _Ngh_!” Ryou clenched his teeth. 

Amir glided his hand up and down. Shivers vibrated through each of Ryou’s nerves. As Amir stroked Ryou, his left hand brushed along Ryou’s thighs. 

“When these heal, we’ll have our real honeymoon. I’m going to kiss you until you’re _begging_. I’m going to nibble until you’re _demanding_ me to take you.”

Ryou answered with whimpers. Amir’s words set Ryou’s loins on fire and his strokes sent pleasure spiraling through Ryou’s body. 

“I’ll love you until you forget your own name and you have to call out mine instead.” 

“Oh, Amir!”

“Yes, precisely,” Amir teased. 

His hand stayed consistent on Ryou’s cock. Ryou curled his toes into the sheets. Amir’s free hand slid high, rolling Ryou’s balls as Ryou choked out several loud, pleasured sounds. He couldn’t resist any longer. Ryou rose his hips to meet Amir’s strokes. He kept each lift controlled, careful not to upset the sore skin. 

“A-amir, _I-mmmm, cmmmm_!” 

Amir understood. He grabbed the tissue and used it to keep Ryou’s skin clean as he came. Ryou’s body tingled as his chest rose and fell. He mouthed the words _I love you_. Amir leaned down to kiss him again. Ryou was mindful of Amir’s chest as they twined their tongues together. Amir broke away and straddled Ryou’s legs. He took his own cock in hand stroked himself. 

“You’re beautiful to watch, and that tattoo looks good on your chest.” Ryou teased his fingers up and down Amir’s thighs. 

“Ryou. Ryou. Ryou. I wish I were inside you.” 

“You can if you want,” Ryou said, his brain a haze of oxytocin. 

“As soon as we’re healed up I will be. I’m going to make you scream.” 

“Are you?” Ryou dragged his nails down Amir’s skin, drawing a growl from him. 

“I’m going to bury myself inside you.” 

“Yes, Amir.” Ryou raked his nails again. 

“Ryou. Ryou. Oh Ryou!” Amir grabbed the rest of the tissue as he tossed back his head and trembled. He laughed at the ceiling and then glanced at Ryou with a grin. “That was hot. Touching you first gets me really worked up.” 

“I love you, Amir.” 

“I love you too.” He snuck a final kiss against Ryou’s lips before cleaning everything and washing his hands. 

They couldn’t sleep twisted together like they preferred, but they locked their hands together and they lay on their backs. A faint hum from his orgasm still lingered, relaxing Ryou. He allowed his thoughts to drift further and further until he fell asleep with Amir brushing the pad of his thumb back and forth across the crook of Ryou’s hand. 


	15. Chapter 15

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This is pretty much the end of the fic. Next week there's a fun pwp epilogue to round it out a bit, but story structure-wise, we've pretty much finished. Yay!

“I can never get the last one.” Amir glared at the tenth pin, and if looks could kill, the pin would have fallen over from his gaze alone. 

“You’re doing much better than last time,” Anzu encouraged him. 

Anzu, Amir, and Joey were on one team, while Ryou, Yugi, and Mai were on the other. Honda had to work, but he was going to meet them at Ryou’s house later that night. 

“At least you broke 100 this game.” Mai took a sip from her soda before hitting the START button for a new game. 

“So Jonouchi said you got a job?” Anzu oh-so-casually pried. 

“Yeah, a few weeks ago. I’ve only set up and watched so far, but I have my first appointment scheduled for next week.” Amir scratched the back of his head. “They only picked me because Yuuto’s schedule was full, and they didn’t want to wait, but once a few people see my work, I should get more clients.” 

“I think it’s good you have a job,” Mai said. 

“Me too,” Yugi agreed. 

“I don’t see how you get along with that Yuuto guy.” Jonouchi shook his head as he stepped up to his lane. “He’s such a punk.”

“Well, there you go.” Mai laughed. “It should be easy for them to get along.” 

“Thanks.” Amir snorted. 

“Wow, Anzu, another strike.” Ryou clapped after all her pins scattered. 

“How do you make it look so easy?” Amir groaned. 

“You think that’s good. You ain’t seen nothing!” Jonouchi marched up to the lane. He waiting for the pins to reset before hurling the ball down the lane. 

Everyone laughed when they saw the 7/10 split. 

After bowling, they rode the bus together to Ryou’s apartment. Ryou and Amir set out snacks while everyone argued over which movie to watch. Someone knocked on the door and Yugi answered it, letting Honda inside. 

“How was work?” Anzu asked while popping a pretzel into her mouth. 

“Exhausting.” Honda’s shoulders slumped. 

“Well come sit down and relax,” Yugi encouraged as he shut the door. 

“Actually, now that everyone’s here,” Ryou said in a soft voice. “Maybe we should change into our pajamas? That way we’ll all be comfortable while we watch movies.” 

“That’s a good idea!” Jonouchi tossed his shirt off. Mai shoved a 1,000 yen note in the waist of his pants and Jonouchi’s face grew bright red. “Mai! I’m not a stripper! What the hell are you doing?” 

“Well, I mean, when someone starts ripping their clothes in front of a crowd—”

“All right, all right, you have a point. I’ll change in the bathroom.”

“Actually Mai and I can go to the extra room,” Anzu suggested. “If you could just wait one minute, Jonouchi.” 

“I don’t see the big deal? Why do they have to change in another room?” Amir frowned. 

“Because they’re women.” Now Honda was blushing along with Jonouchi. 

“Really attractive women—” Yugi covered his mouth with both hands. “Um, I mean—”

“Don’t worry, Yugi. We’ll just take the compliment.” Mai winked as she and Anzu gathered up their overnight bags.

“So? Why does that mean they have to change in another room?” Amir scratched the back of his head. 

Ryou stood on his tiptoes, cupping his hands around Amir’s ear and whispering. “Because the other guys are attracted to women, so it’d be embarrassing to see them naked.” 

“Oh.” Amir nodded, finally understanding. “Okay, then I guess we should go and change with them.”

“No you will not!” Anzu shouted, joining the others by blushing. 

Mai didn’t blush. She doubled over and laughed until she had to dab at her eyes. 

“But I don’t find girls attractive so it makes more sense,” Amir insisted. 

“That doesn’t matter. You stay with the rest of the guys!” Anzu turned toward the hallway. 

“I don’t know, Anzu, he has a point.” Mai laughed. 

“Don’t encourage him.” Anzu rushed off with Mai trailing behind her. 

Afterward, the guys changed in a rush. Amir shook his head and faced the wall as he changed. Ryou stood in place staring at his feet. 

“Ryou, are you okay?” Yugi asked after he was stripped down to boxers and a t-shirt. 

“Yugi, there’s something I have to show you,” Ryou said, fussing the the sleeve of his shirt. 

“Are you going to show us your tattoo?” Yugi asked. 

“Yes… all of them.” Ryou nodded. Of course Jonouchi told, but Ryou couldn’t really blame him for it. He wouldn’t have kept secrets from Amir either. 

“All of them? How many do you have?” Yugi asked. 

Instead of explaining, Ryou decided to simply show them. He slipped out of his pants. With only boxer shorts covering his legs, Ryou faced the others so they could see the branches and blossoms growing up his legs. Honda whistled in surprise, and Yugi’s mouth dropped. Jonouchi didn’t say anything, but gave Ryou an encouraging nod. Ryou held his breath as he tugged off both shirts at one go. He heard the gasps, and realized—with great embarrassment—that Anzu and Mai were back. 

“Sorry.” He bowed. “I thought you’d be gone a little longer.”

“You dirty sneak! Why didn’t you ever show me?” Mai jogged to Ryou, taking him by the wrist and spinning him around like a dance partner. “Look at you! Oh my god you look amazing!” 

“I never showed anyone.” Ryou’s hair whirled around him as he spun. He combed it out of his face once they stopped. 

“He wore both socks and sleeves when we met,” Amir said. “But I think he looks better decorated in art.” 

“Where’s the new one?” Yugi asked. 

“Here.” Ryou blushed and tugged down the band of his boxers just enough for them to see the kintsugi tea cup.

“I did that one.” Amir beamed. 

“The shading is amazing,” Yugi said. 

“So you’re not mad?” Ryou reached his arms around himself in a hug, but Mai pushed them back down again so everyone could keep looking at the pictures drawn all over his body. 

“Well… you could have told us sooner.” Honda crossed his arms over his chest, not to hide himself as Ryou had done, but because he was frustrated. “We were really worried about the way you always wore sleeves in the summer and refused to go to the water park with us.” 

“Uh, yeah.” Ryou scratched the back of his head. “They’d kick me out if they saw me like this.” 

“Which is stupid. Your tattoos are clearly different than the ones Shigeru did for the gangs.” Jonouchi shook his head. 

“Don’t worry, Ryou.” Anzu gave him a sympathetic grin. “I read an article just last week about how fashion tattoos are gaining popularity in Tokyo. I’m sure in a few more years people will be more accepting of them!” 

“I don’t really care about people.” Ryou pulled his t-shirt back over his head, but left his arms bare for the first time since he’d gotten his arms inked. “I’m just glad _you guys_ are okay with them.”

“Of course we are!” Yugi threw his arms around Ryou, and the others joined around him. Mai even pulled Amir into the group. “We’re your friends!”

***

The next night, with the oil warmed in his hands, Amir rubbed small circles below Ryou’s shoulders blades. Ryou closed his eyes and sighed. 

“That’s amazing.” 

“You rub my back all the time. I wanted to massage you tonight.” Amir watched as his fingers left trails in the oil coating Ryou’s white back. 

He wrote a secret love note on Ryou’s skin in hieratic, and sealed it with a kiss against Ryou’s spine. Ryou sighed, his body sinking into the mattress below them. Amir kneaded Ryou’s muscles like dough. The busywork always soothed the remaining vestiges of anger which occasionally simmered below Amir’s skin. Amir’s mind shifted into a semi-trance and he rolled up palms up Ryou’s lateral muscles. Each time Amir allowed himself to go a little lower until his fingers circled around Ryou’s tailbone. 

“I’ve been thinking… about what to put on my back.” Ryou spoke in a dreamy voice, his breath slow and steady as he relaxed. 

“Yeah?” 

“I’d like a _baku_.” 

“Baku?”

“When I was little I used to chant three times, _Baku-san, come eat my dreams_. They’re creatures with long trunks and claws, and they’ll gobble up nightmares for you.” Ryou rolled onto his back. His dark eyes flashed in the bedroom light, like a glint against an onyx blade. “Perhaps I did it _too_ much.”

“Why do you say that?” 

“Bakus are greedy. They say if you ask for their help too much, they won’t stop with your nightmares—they’ll eat all your hopes and dreams.” Ryou’s gaze flicked to the side. “I felt that way a little… after everything was over and I lost the Ring.”

“That wasn’t a baku, that was a parasite.” Amir snorted, brushing his knuckles against Ryou’s cheek to draw his gaze. Ryou smiled at the soft touch. 

“What’s important is that I’ve found them again, my hopes and dreams. I’ve been thinking about writing again. I used to love writing my own campaigns for Monster World, but after the final RPG…” Ryou sighed. “Even if I managed to come up with an idea, I couldn’t imagine the others agreeing to play, but now—I guess I have a little more faith in them now.” 

“Yeah, they’re alright.” Amir snorted, grinning. 

“I also hope we spend the rest of our lives together.” Ryou touched the kintsugi tattoo decorating Amir’s chest. 

He held Ryou’s hand and brought it to his lips. “I’ll make sure that dream comes true.” 

“I’m glad,” Ryou whisper.

Amir lowered down, lips ghosting against Ryou’s. Ryou carded his fingers through Amir’s hair. Amir kissed his way down Ryou’s stomach, veering over to his matching tattoo and kissing the outline.

“Will you do the one on my back?” Ryou asking, hitching against Amir’s lips. 

“The baku tattoo?”

“Yes, I’ll show you some pictures, and let you design the final—ohh, lower, Amir. Yes. Please.”

Ryou pushed his hips higher and Amir indulged him, meandering down his pelvis and licking the innermost crease of his thigh. He muttered against Ryou’s skin between licks. 

“Do you want it on your shoulders blades or above the dragon?”

“ _Ahh, ah!_ I-I-I want it over my entire back.”

Amir popped his head up. “You know that’s going to hurt, right?” He shook his head. “You’ve had lots of tattoos, but something like that isn’t a one day project and—”

Ryou sat up, pressing his fingers to Amir’s lips to silence him. “I know. If you feel uncomfortable doing a piece that big on my back, I’ll understand, but I love your work, so I honestly want it to be you that does it.” 

“It’s not that, it’s…” Amir paused, scratching the back of his scalp. “I don’t want you to hurt too much.” 

“Well, I know if I’m sore while my back heals and need something off of a high shelf—” Ryou held both of Amir’s hands. “I have someone who will get it for me so I don’t have to reach.” 

He nodded and exhaled. Their lips met. Ryou eased Amir down into the mattress, hands roaming along Amir’s body. Ryou tugged at Amir’s boxers and he hiked his hips high enough for Ryou to strip him. Ryou’s thighs were warm and smooth pressed against his own as Ryou lay between his legs. They ground together, cocks growing stiff and sensitive as they slid them back and forth. Ryou bit at Amir’s collarbone, and Amir groaned. His hands groped for Ryou’s ass, squeezing hard and shoving Ryou harder against his own body. 

Ryou fumbled beside them until he could reach the lube. He kissed Amir, tongue swirling in his mouth, and his slick fingers probbed and teased Amir’s entrance. He moaned again, and growled when Ryou continued to tease him. 

“Ryou, I want you.” 

“I want you too,” Ryou whispered, pushing two fingers in at once. 

Amir groaned as the strange, thrilling sensation of being filled. Ryou curved his fingers, flicking against Amir’s nerves and sending sharp jolts of pleasure coursing throughout his body. Amir’s nails dug into the plush flesh of Ryou’s ass, and his cock jumped in excitement as Ryou pushed deeper. 

“Fuck!” Amir called out to the air, rocking his hips to get the most out of Ryou’s fingers. 

Ryou’s lips traveled around Amir’s chest, sucking on his nipples and kissing the tattoo on his sternum. Ryou pulled out, but his dick was already coated and his swollen tip nudged against Amir’s asshole the moment his fingers disappeared. Amir felt the initial pressure of Ryou pushing in, then a whoosh of sensation as he slid in. The breath caught in Amir’s throat. His lips trembled as he adjusted to Ryou’s girth pushing in and out of his body. 

“Oh gods…” Amir moaned, wanting more… and more… and more. “Ryou. Ryou. Ryou. Yes—yes— _ah-ah-ah-ah-ah-ah—oh fuck!_ ” 

Ryou slammed forward, filling Amir completely. Ryou had the inexplicable talent of being mild and endearing and savage all at once. He was so quick and hard with each thrust, but so calculated as he moved that the only aching Amir felt was from _want_. He yearned for each new thrust, craved it, desired it wholly with his entire being, and he expressed his need to Ryou through moans and scratches and upward tips of his hips as he clenched his muscles tightly around Ryou’s moving shaft. Ryou fisted Amir’s hair, tugging hard enough to tilt his head.

“Do you like getting fucked?” Ryou growled. It was soft as a purr, but he was trying to be fierce and it set Amir’s desire ablaze. 

“Yes! Yes! Harder!” 

Ryou bit his neck. The spike of euphoria made Amir cry out. His legs coiled around Ryou’s hips. He was clawing at Ryou’s back, but he couldn’t stop himself. He was wild with need. Ryou didn’t protest. He met each scratch with new bites to Amir’s collarbone and wilder thrusts into Amir’s ass. Ryou dropped down to his left forearm so he could seize Amir’s cock with his right hand and jerk. The added pressure of Ryou’s hand around his dick made the euphoria surge within Amir. He couldn’t stand it anymore, in a high, wailing voice he screamed. 

“Oh fuck yes! _Oh fuck yes!_ Ryou… Ryou…. I’m-I’m c- _aaaaaaah_!” 

The sentence died in his throat. A shout rose from the ashes of his words as hot, thick come splashed onto his belly. With a soft coo, Ryou waited until Amir was fully spent before hiking a long brown leg over his slender white shoulder. He rearranged himself so he could thrust at a different angle. Amir grunted with each push of Ryou’s hips. His face sank against the pillow as Ryou started to whimper, close. 

“Mmmmm… Ryou.” Amir flashed Ryou a lidded stare, his tongue dabbing out of his mouth as he licked his lips. 

Ryou’s hair hung over his face as he leaned closer to Amir’s body. It reminded Amir of moss hanging from a dead tree in a mausoleum. Ryou’s lips curled back in a cute snarl as his thrusts became deep stabs. Amir’s fingers curled into the sheets as he grit his teeth. Then Ryou screamed and pressed his forehead against Amir’s lifted leg. 

“Fuu-ah!” Ryou’s voice rang out as he dropped to Amir’s side. 

“I love you,” Amir whispered to his face before pecking Ryou’s lips. 

“I love you too. Oh. I’m sorry, you’re a mess. Here...” He sat up and grabbed a wet wipe from the container near their bed, dabbing it across Amir’s stomach. He used a second one to clean up any excess lube before tossing them in the trash and settling back down. 

“Thanks,” Amir said. “I’ll do it, by the way. The tattoo.” 

“You don’t have to.” 

“I want to.” He traced the magic sigil along Ryou’s chest. “Show me some some pictures tomorrow and I’ll design it.”

Ryou kissed his lips. “Thank you.” 

“Thank _you_.” He took Ryou’s hand and placed it over his heart. “For helping me bind the shards together.” 

***

Ryou sat gingerly on the couch. They’d been working on his back for a few weeks. The line art was completed, and now Amir was coloring in the chimera. They’d chosen a sky blue for the creature’s skin and white for the fringe hair and tail. He hovered in a dark realm of purple and black clouds—taking inspiration from the Shadow Realm. The baku was pulling some of the clouds into his mouth—eating the nightmare of the darkness. It wasn’t quite finished yet, but Ryou already loved it.

“Here’s the popcorn.” Amir sat beside him, careful not to jostle. “How’s your back?” 

“Sore, but it’s all right. I’ll be so happy when it’s done and we can take a picture.” 

“Yeah. It’s going to look great in my portfolio.” Amir fed Ryou a piece of popcorn. 

“Train to Busan.” Ryou opened his mouth for the popcorn, sucking on Amir’s fingers a moment as he pulled them away. 

“Is it horror?”

“Yes. It’s a zombie film, but they’re trapped on a train. It’s also beautiful. I watched it the first night we met and cried three times.”

“The first night we met…” Amir glanced at the window—they’d finally gotten around to replacing it, and the glass behind them was dark from the evening sky. 

“Feels like a long time ago, doesn’t it?” Ryou asked. 

“Yeah. I can’t even remember what it was like, to be a Shadow. My eyes have adjusted to the light, and now it’s harder to see at night.” 

“Oh, really?” Ryou nibbled against Amir’s neck. “Then we should play our little game again. It’ll be more fun in the dark if neither of us can see.” 

“Be careful…” Amir clutched at the front of Ryou’s shirt and pulled them together. He plucked a kiss from Ryou’s lips and pressed their foreheads together. “I might get carried away in the dark once I capture you.” 

“Please do.” Ryou smiled. 

They settled down to watch the movie. Their arms wrapped around each other. By the end of it, they were both sniffling. 

“How could you do this to me?” Amir smeared tears on Ryou’s black velvet throw cushion. 

“I know. I know. But I had to share this movie. It’s too good not to share.”

“I like Dead Before Daylight better. I never care when Claudette gets hooked.” 

“That’s what makes this beautiful. It’s everything at once. The thrill of horror contrasted by the full scope of humanity. Here...” Half blind, Ryou reached out beside him where he kept a box of tissues on the end table. 


	16. Chapter 16

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Here's just a quick epilogue (w/a bonus Creepy Hide & Seek homage). Thanks for reading everyone!!!

Lightning lit up the room in haunting snatches, but otherwise… darkness. Ryou dragged his fingers along the wall, listening for any sound which might alert him of his lover’s location. Another flash and he caught the silhouette of spikes in the corner of the room. 

Ryou ran.

He ran, leaping over the sofa and dashing down the hallway. He darted into his room, careful not to run into the doorframe. The Shadow grabbed him, lifted him into the air, and slammed him against the wall, pressing a fan blade against his throat. 

“Caught you.” 

“You did. I’m helpless.” Ryou tilted his head, exposing his throat. “What will you do to me?”

“Wicked things.” Amir gripped Ryou’s throat. The warmth of his palm soaked through Ryou’s skin and Ryou sighed. “The sort of things that will make you scream.” 

“Please…” Ryou licked his lips. “Is there nothing I can do to earn your mercy?” 

“Nothing.” Amir scraped his teeth against Ryou’s bottom lip, and Ryou shivered.

“What if I whispered a ghost story to you? Here in the dark?” 

“You’re only delaying the inevitable, but I suppose everyone deserves a last request.” 

Amir whisked Ryou into his arms and carried him to their bed. Candles lined the dresser and nightstand. Amir grabbed a lighter and lit them one after another. 

“Once there was a guy and he was lonely, so he sewed a doll out of scraps of cloth.”

“Dolls aren’t scary.” Amir snorted, crawling over the bed to hover over Ryou. He pulled out a knife and pointed it below Ryou’s chin. “You promised a ghost story.” 

“Let me set it up.” Ryou failed to suppress his smile. “He filled this doll with rice and clippings from his own nails before sewing it up with red thread, and then he began the game.”

“Hmmm… I do like games. I think I’ll play with you while you finish your story.” With a quick flick of the knife, Amir cut the top button from the old shirt Ryou wore for their role play. 

Ryou gasped, eyes lidding as Amir sliced away his clothes. He swallowed before continuing, “He named the doll, and spoke the name three times before filling a bathtub full of water and submerging the doll. Then he ran to his closet and filled his mouth with salt water.” 

“That would never work.” Amir snickered. He brushed aside the ribbons of cloth away from Ryou’s chest and worked on the old boxers. 

“After counting to ten, he returned to the bathroom—but the doll was gone. That’s when the game of hide and seek began. He had to search the apartment for the missing doll.” 

Amir drew his fingers over Ryou’s chest, toying with each candle flame inked into Ryou’s skin. He moved to Ryou’s ribs, colored with lotus flowers and paint brushes and a creepy doll that Amir was particularly proud of. There wasn’t much white to Ryou’s skin anymore. Amir had filled in the gaps with his own artwork and now Ryou was a collage from his collarbone to the tops of his feet. Ryou dragged his fingers over the vines growing up Amir’s torso. He scraped his nails down Amir’s chest even as he continued his story. 

“But, as he entered his bedroom, instead of a doll—he saw a man, dark and beautiful and naked because the fool had forgotten to sew clothes for the little doll.”

Amir snickered. He ran the flat of the blade along Ryou’s skin, teasing Ryou’s nipples until they perked up against the cold metal. Ryou shivered and puffed his chest. He gripped Amir’s wrist and drew it up to his mouth. Keeping the blade away from his face, Ryou kissed a skull with flowers growing out of the eye sockets on Amir’s skin. 

“The man was so beautiful his summoner forgot the game he played and swallowed—but the salt water was his only protection against the evil spirit possessing the doll.”

“Did the evil spirit tear him to pieces?” Amir stabbed the headboard behind them, anchoring the knife into the wood. 

“He kissed the human because the human was also beautiful. Salt is sacred and the salt on the human’s lips blistered the spirit’s mouth, but they didn’t care about the burns. They refused to stop kissing… touching… much like we are now.”

“I think I understand this story.” Amir smothered Ryou’s mouth with kisses, refusing to quit until they were panting. 

“Do you?”

“Yes. It’s a metaphor… you’re the evil spirit and I’m the beautiful human.” 

“Yes.” Ryou laughed; he twisted and grabbed the lube off of the nightstand. He covered his cock and poured enough into Amir’s hand for him to get himself started. Ryou dragged his foot up Amir’s calf, the one with a cobra coiled around it. “Could you find it in your heart to love a dark spirit like me?” 

“Only forever.” Amir flashed a crooked smirk as he positioned himself over Ryou’s cock and then sank low. 

“Oh fuck.” Ryou’s eyes slammed shut as the tightness and heat of Amir’s body engulfed him. 

“Did they… live… happily ever after?” Amir gasped as he rolled his stomach, rocking his hips as he rode Ryou. 

“Of course.” Ryou clawed at the sheets below them.

“Is that allowed? In a horror story?”

“It is if the horror— _ahhh—_ story is also— _ah-gods_! A love story! Amir!” 

“Ryou.”

“Please… oh, you’re so tight.” 

“You’re so _thick_ ,” Amir growled. He balanced both hands on Ryou’s chest so he could bounce faster on Ryou’s cock. 

Ryou’s face flushed. His control slipped as the pleasure spiked. He fumbled for Amir’s cock, using his lube-slick hand to stroke him. 

“Holy shit, Ryou! I’m close!” 

“Good… good… come with me… I’m-I’m—also close!” Ryou bucked up, wrenching a moan from Amir’s throat.

Ryou bucked again, hand shuffling as fast as he could move it to help guide Amir to the edge at the same time. Amir’s nails dug into Ryou’s biceps. He slammed his ass down hard as Ryou bucked up. Their game had lasted too long, and they were too eager. Unable to wait a moment longer, Ryou’s eyes closed again and he sang out Amir’s name as pinpricks of light exploded and disappeared in the darkness behind his eyelids. As he came, as he screamed, he heard Amir keening in physical rapture. Hot seed splashed over Ryou’s wrist and stomach and they crashed into each other’s arms, itching from sweat and fighting to breathe.

“As soon as my legs don’t feel like jello anymore, I’ll carry you to the shower so we can clean up.” Amir kissed the star in the center of Ryou’s chest, running his hands over the paper lanterns. “I’m so happy you don’t hide behind socks and sleeves anymore.” 

“I’m happy I don’t feel like I need to anymore.” Ryou kissed the kintsugi tea cup in the center of Amir’s chest. “I love you.” 

“You’re the gold in between all my cracks, Ryou Bakura.” Amir graced his thumb across Ryou’s matching tattoo. “I love you, too.” 


End file.
